Breaking All the Rules
by DragonInk
Summary: Life was good. He had a roof over his head, his job had good pay, the hours were very good. His best friend lived just a few blocks away. Life was good, until she stepped out of that car. complete
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Breaking All the Rules

**There's a First Time for Everything**

The air moved in a light breeze to his liking, as it always did on the days like these that he'd choose. The sun stayed hidden so he could get a clear shot. He had accepted the job with nothing to say; after all he had nothing to lose. It couldn't be any different to any other mark that he'd had. In the end he'd just let the Aurors have the credit, like he always did. It had come to pass that he had had to study the Aurors, especially Harry Potter in order to get the scenarios right and their strategies of completing a 'mission.' That way it would be easier for them to integrate the incident as their own.

It was his job and it was always done perfectly. After all, he was Draco Malfoy and nothing he did was ever done halfway.

He waited patiently on the roof top of a building in muggle London. It had taken him a while to infringe his father's teachings but he had done it eventually when he realised it was an obligation of the job. After all they were money in his pocket and he was not one to turn that down. He owed that philosophy to his father, apparently every person be they muggle or not are not equal. They were not worth the same, oh no, they all their own unique price.

It all depended on the mark, if he had to keep them alive or kill them.

That was what an assassin did after all and he was the best that had emerged out of the war. A group – small – but a group none the less, did not want to take sides. It was tedious and frankly they had better things to do. But that was until one night when he and his best friend Blaise Zabini had returned to their shared home with a few others to find one of their own murdered. A sign that their negligence to choose what others wanted them to be was not going ignored, far from it.

They wanted to stay neutral but it was then that they had snapped. Blaise and Draco sought out the trespassers who had dared to come to their place of solitude, their place of peace to destroy it with one swift move. It had taken time, planning and plenty of patience to learn everything about the clan that had stolen one of their good friends. They infiltrated and sought out the best way to attack them from the inside.

And attack they did, with a swift vengeance that only echoed a tenth of what they really wanted to do to them. After that, both men felt empty. Incomplete as if they wanted more. The metallic taste on their mouths had teased them into a meal only to have it end quicker than it started. It wasn't enough.

Apparently, they were not the only ones who thought so and they were certainly not alone when they had left the clan's lair. Another man dressed elegantly – strange, seeing as they were in the middle of a war between good and evil at the time – had approached them when they were ready to leave. He told them that they had a large amount of potential for certain careers that they could excel in. Both Blaise and Draco looked at each other then back the man and turned him down. That was until he mentioned the sum of money they would get if they carried it out.

And so it had started. One job turned into two, which turned into four. Soon they broke apart to perform separately and bodies were turning up everywhere with no explanation. There was no way to cover it up besides the war. The strange thing about it was that the marks were always high and prosperous leaders, be they on the side of evil or good. Without any proof both sides just blamed each other until the war was over.

It was during that war that Draco Malfoy had his biggest mark. It had taken him a while to get through the process but in the end it was done. It didn't matter if he had to go against everything he was taught.

And so he was here, using both muggle and wizarding weapons to complete his every task. Now he lay patiently on the roof, looking through the eye piece of a gun he had borrowed from Blaise. It was his lucky gun and it had taken quite some time for Draco to get him to part with it, but it was accurate and no matter what it always tended to target the heart. Right now it was aimed at the doors to the Bank of England, as he was sure the mark was to enter it at noon. It was on his schedule for the day and Draco had taken to the pleasure of memorizing it.

Just then a black car pulled up alongside the bank at the edge of the road and a man came out to open the door. Draco looked at the picture he had been given, no, no that wasn't him. The man went to the pavement side of the car and opened the door, but Draco focused on the other side where his mark had just stepped out. He braced himself and gripped the trigger but as fate had it a gust of wind blew and misguided his aim. Quick reflexes let go of the trigger before serious damage was done. Sure it was his job but he didn't kill for any reason, you don't get raises if you kill more than one. He looked through again to get his target and-.

"What the…" He tore his eyes away and looked with the naked eye. He squinted to see if his eyes were playing tricks with him. A woman had just gotten out of the car, her hair tied into a bun and hidden under her wide brimmed hat. It appeared that his mark had a girlfriend – or wife, whichever came first. He caught a glimpse of her as she stepped out of the car and his mark went around it to get to her. They kissed as he went quickly into the bank leaving her outside.

"Shit." He relaxed himself on the roof and lifted the gun away. Now he had to wait for him to come back out. He sat and stared at the doors counting the minutes patiently again. Then his eyes wondered to the girlfriend. "Well," he said under his breath. "It wouldn't do any harm in taking a look." He focused the eye-piece to get a closer look at her. She was talking animatedly to one of the drivers. "Probably screwing him on the side," he said to himself chuckling, as she stroked his arm lightly. He shook his head. "Damn rich fools, choose unfaithful whores when there's a world full of women out there that they need not get committed to, and what do their girlfriends do when they're caught cheating? Blame it on the man, and end up taking half of his estate and all his cars is what they do." Draco laughed. He had seen it too many times. Now he was talking to himself, he had been up there too long.

He saw a strong gale blow past them, the driver held onto her at the waist as her hat blew off. Draco followed it with his gun. "Whoops, there goes the college fund," he mocked as he set it back on her. All of a sudden he dropped the gun and it clattered to the concrete of the roof. Mouth open he stared down onto the pavement of London with his own eyes. The wind that blew off her hat had disarranged her hair sending it flying in all directions. Wild and… red.

"Holy…" It couldn't be. He quickly picked up the gun from the ground ignoring the scratch marks he had made on it and how much quarreling would happen when he gave it back. He looked through the eye-piece once more. This time with a more somber approach. That hair that face – those freckles.

"Shit." He repeated this as he stood there on the roof about a dozen times – maybe even more. He even missed it when his mark came back out of the bank and got into the car. He only snapped out of his trance when the doors closed. Now not only had he learned that she was his 'girlfriend,' but now _she_ had made him miss his mark – twice. He had never done that before.

Damn Weasley.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter one

**Discovery**

_**Where did I go wrong?**_

"What the hell did you do to my gun?" Blaise fumed when he saw the state of what used to be his most prized possession.

Draco poured out the remainder of the bottle he had opened about an hour ago. Really Gin was something you had to drink all at once, he had no idea what other people complained about. "I'll buy you another one, Zabini." He watched it slosh its way to the rim of the glass and stopped to pour the remainder of it down his throat.

"Don't think you can buy me off! This was my favourite gun Malfoy. It was charmed!" he whined. "Do you have any idea how expensive it is to charm a muggle object like this? I can't even fix it because it'll probably explode or something." The snort from Draco's direction gave him the feeling that he wouldn't really mind that right now. "You ruined it because of some red-haired whore who averted your gaze for three seconds." He sighed in frustrated. "We were trained for this. How could you have been distracted by her?" Blaise stared at his friend with an unbelievable look on his face. Clearly Draco wasn't taking this well as that was the third bottle he had seen him drain since Monday and it showed no signs of stopping. Sure he never missed but this was ridiculous. He marched up to him and grabbed the bottle from his mouth, causing a series of spluttering coughs coming from him.

"I'm talking to you!" He threw the bottle in the sink causing the glass to shatter as it hit the steel.

When he eventually stopped coughing, Draco sighed like he was giving up. "You weren't there. It just took me by surprise that's all. The littlest Weasley married to one of my marks. Someone as powerful as that, it's almost laughable isn't it?" He chuckled a little in amusement.

"Yes, I guess so." Zabini took one last look at his prized possession before getting rid of it with a quick spell. He dropped himself down heavily in one of Malfoy's large, white leather sofas. "So what are you going to do?" he asked him with a curious smile.

"I don't know," Draco shrugged. "I'm supposed to report it right?" Blaise nodded. "But how can I? I've never done this before I don't even know how to go about it anymore." He banged his fists on the table. "Damn her!" Zabini jumped.

"Well cast your mind back to training. What did they say to do if this ever happened?" he questioned. He knew that Draco wouldn't have the answer to this. He was always absent when the classes were called in. Blaise always knew where to find him though; at the camp on the other side of the island.

For female assassins.

Blaise rolled his eyes when Draco took so long to answer.

Draco noted this and gave him a sardonic smile. "It said that this is impossible if you ever survive training so you won't need to take this class." He got up and made his way to the kitchen again.

"No it didn't, you just missed it because you were probably off with one of those assassinating whores."

He stopped rummaging in the cupboards and smiled a little remembering. "Well someone had to see if they were paying attention."

"Someone needed to make sure you paid attention, which was what I was there for. I see I failed miserably."

"Hmm." He gave up with the cupboards and opened the fridge. "Oh a kingdom for a beer," he said as he practically stepped inside of it.

"Well, seeing as you look particularly hopeless to carry on, I guess I shall have to help you. It'll be like old times, just the two of us. I have a few more marks to get through but I'm sure I can help you on the side."

Draco almost hit his head on the way out of the fridge. He eventually emerged with a chilled bottle in his hand. "I don't need your help Blaise I just need some way to get to him again."

"Well let me see the picture you got from them." He stuck his hand out gesturing for the photo.

"I didn't get a picture from them I had to get it myself. The client didn't put out a picture of their mark. It just said Mr. G Thomas." He gave an uncaring look. The name obviously didn't mean anything to him.

"Who posted it?"

"One of Leveret's secretaries."

"Those incapable people? Honestly," he tutted, raising his eyes to the ceiling.

"They're not all incapable," he said smiling wickedly again. He leaned on a counter as he drank.

"I meant in the office, Malfoy. You know, sometimes I feel you've slept with every woman on the planet."

"Who said I slept with them?" He smiled wickedly again. "Get real Blaise, in that office, who has time?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "You will just never learn will you?" Malfoy shrugged. "Okay then let me see the picture you found."

"It's on the table," he gestured with his chin. Blaise stretched out his hand and called for it. Swiftly, it came rushing toward his hand and landed perfectly in his palm. He looked at it.

"Well." He tilted it thinking that it was upside down. It wasn't, that was actually his face. "I can certainly _not_ see what she sees in him." He scrunched up his face and placed the picture further away. Maybe he looked good from a distance.

Draco snorted. "There are millions of reasons and they're all in the Bank of England."

Blaise nodded in agreement thinking. He gave a resolute shrug. "Well, why didn't you just follow them?"

"To where? They've gone to someplace in the Caribbean. I don't know where they are."

"Well, schrye for them."

"On what, Zabini?" He gestured his arms around him. "I have no maps of the world here and I am not investing in one just because a mark got out of my grasp. I'll just wait until he comes back that's all."

"Oh no you don't. I am not listening to you prattle off about this for Merlin knows how long just because of some wild red hair."

Red hair. For some strange reason he kept seeing it flailing around wildly. It wouldn't remove itself from his eyelids. Her hands stroking the chauffeur's arm and talking happily and that offensive hat blocking the view of that radiant red that shone in the temporary sunlight. When it blew off, and her hair was set free, everything slowed down. From his brief point of fascination to the point of realisation he had seen the world in slow motion. He almost felt the need to reach forward and touch it, just run his fingers through it and-.

"Hello! Wizarding world to Draco Malfoy. Have you heard a word I just said? What were you thinking about?" Blaise waved his hand wildly in front of Draco's face waiting for him to acknowledge his presence again.

"Red," he said in a far away voice quietly. It was barely audible.

"What?" Blaise asked thoroughly confused.

"Huh?" Draco looked up with that look still in his eye. Then it was gone and he shook any remnants of it out of his system. "Nothing, I was just drifting off. You know, too much to drink." He stood up and made his way to his bedroom. Blaise followed him.

Blaise eyed him curiously. He didn't believe a word he said. And he knew he distinctly heard the word 'red.' Suddenly it clicked in place. _Merlin no, not another one. _

Over the next three weeks Draco and Blaise had spent a sunny business – part pleasure – vacation in the Caribbean. On the third week they had reached an island near Venezuela, Trinidad. Apparently Mr. G (as they later found out, stood for Girard) Thomas was quite the ladies man. He seemed to spend many nights away from his home and in the arms of many women.

Many, except for his wife's.

Blaise had owled Leveret's office to get any information on Girard Thomas and they had sent back a wad of information on him. He was the leader of an elite group that ruled the dark streets of the wizarding world. Though not as bad as a Deatheater would be, they certainly had a disregard for the law and covered up well.

"Well, if not a Deatheater there had to be something else right? I can certainly see why someone would want him assassinated." Blaise scanned the paper before realising that Draco wasn't even listening. He mentally kicked himself when he realised that perhaps the balcony of the rented house overlooking the beach of half naked women was not such a good idea. Even worse so when he saw what, or rather who, he was watching. Blaise followed his eyes out onto Mayaro Beach, upon the boat that floated peacefully and to the young woman inside that was reading under a large yellow parasol.

He clicked his tongue and went back to the paper thinking. For the past three weeks his friend had seemed to be enraptured by this woman. Strange, as their past history was not one that would encourage that type of behaviour. As he re-read the page he discovered something that might enlighten his friend and perhaps avert his gaze for all of five minutes.

"It says here that they both met a year ago in some alley-way behind a book shop in Muggle London. Apparently it was love at first sight and they've been married ever since."

Draco snapped his focus back to Blaise. "Love at first sight? She must need glasses." Blaise snorted at his comment.

"Yes, he is a little facially challenged, but when it's love you can't help yourself can you?"

"You bloody well can! I've done it all my life. My love life is fine." He inadvertently drifted back towards the boat. She had just stripped down to her bathing suit and jumped into the water.

"Hmm," Blaise said raising one eyebrow. "I would hardly call your daily one night stands a love life. That is more like a lust life to me." He went back to the paper. When there was no response he looked back up at Draco. He was still peering at her. He rolled the papers up into a good rendition of a bat and held it tight in one hand, his wand hand. "Are you listening?" With a fast swoop the papers found their way to the back of Draco's head. He sat back in his beach chair. Draco jumped in surprise and instinctively grabbed the back of his head.

"What was that for?"

"You weren't paying attention." Blaise's eyes went out to the sea again. "Well, not to me anyway," he smiled. "Remember, we're here to kill her husband. Don't go getting attached to her."

"I'm not getting attached to her," Draco said defensively.

"Sure, so these past few weeks what? You've been admiring her fiery personality, even though you haven't gotten within fifty yards of her since we got here." Draco heaved a sigh and sat back finally.

"Alright fine, I don't know what's wrong with me." He took off his sunglasses and squinted under the sun after throwing them down on the table in front of him. "Since that day in front of the BoE I haven't been able to get that image of her out of my head. Do you think I'm coming down with something?"

"Yeah I think you have a rare case of 'obsessionus ridikulus.' Are you saying you're attracted to her?"

"I don't know," he said unsure. He noted the look on Blaise's face. "_I don't know_ alright. Merlin! Something is wrong with this picture. I mean its Weasley right? Why am I feeling this way?"

"Feeling?" Blaise said surprised. He leaned forward and looked at Draco's face. "Look at me, Draco. _Look at me._"

He stopped and cautiously looked Blaise in the eye. After a while of staring he withdrew. "Oh Merlin, Malfoy, not now."

"What?" Draco raised his defense banner once again.

"Don't give me that Draco Malfoy, I am an empath you can't fool me." He looked to the sky. "I cannot believe you. Why didn't you tell me? And here's me thinking you've just gotten yourself into something stupid that I could snap you out of." He shook his head. "You dated her?" he said in an unbelieving tone.

"I did not -" he almost yelled. The scrutinizing look from Blaise made him reword his argument, "- date her for more than three months…" he finished slowly.

"Three months? That's the longest relationship you've ever had!" he belted out in a peal of laughter. When he finally recovered he noticed Draco wasn't laughing and returned to the serious state of the conversation. "You liked her didn't you?"

"We just talked mostly. She was a good listener."

"For three months?" He didn't sound like he believed him.

"Nothing happened, if that's what you're getting at." He sighed and stood up. "Okay, enough of this. I have a job to do." He turned and went inside.

Blaise waited a little before following. He looked back out to the beach as Mrs. Thomas climbed her way back onto the yacht. She didn't look half bad.

_Oh this will be difficult_. He sat thinking this over. Malfoy's feelings for her had never gone away and they were affecting him in all the wrong ways. He had never missed before because he never had a reason to. There had been plenty of marks he knew - or those connected to acquaintances he knew - which he had to kill. It was never such a big deal. Hell, he had to kill some of the most wanted deatheaters in the country and most of them were the parents of his friends from school. He never batted an eyelash then. This time it was different, Blaise knew there had to be some good reason why they weren't attending Mr. Thomas' funeral right now.

After a while of consideration he came up with one conclusion.

Draco had to confront her, to get past it. Just talk to her if need be. It was the only way he knew of to get him to let out these pent up feelings he had been harboring within him for Merlin knows how many years. It was affecting his work and he needed to get over her now.

_After all, how do you kill the husband of the woman you were in love with?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two

Breaking All the Rules

**­Intentionally Accidental**

"Where are we going? This is not on their schedule." Draco followed Blaise through Central London as they passed various stores and restaurants before stopping at one restaurant he had never seen before.

"It wouldn't be, it's our first kill anniversary. This," he said signaling inside, "is a surprise dinner, for us." The restaurant was enchanted with small fairies flittering about. This street was mainly known for muggle shops. No wonder he had never noticed it before.

"You want me to kill him in front of all these people? Blaise, I thought I at least taught you some kind of sense. I hope you have remembered we can't use magic."

"We're not here to kill anyone." Blaise seemed to be searching for someone as they both entered. "We're here to eat."

"Eat?"

"Do I suffer with a speech impediment?" He walked past the small podium where an usher was standing to take them to their tables.

The man rounded them and stood still causing them to stop. Blaise eyed the man with malice making him shrink back, but not enough for him to not stand his ground. "Can I help you?" he asked in a monotonous fashion.

"A table for two." Blaise eyed him scrutinizing what he was wearing. Draco did a double take and snorted at the accent that Blaise was using. It was notably posh and it didn't suit the Blaise he knew at all.

He glanced momentarily at the clipboard in his hand. "Ah, well it seems we have none available." Blaise raised an eyebrow. The man, thinking this meant Blaise was confused, attempted to clear it up. "You must have an appointment," he stated rudely, a routine only fashioned by the years of working with customers that refused to follow the way it works.

_The impertinence of this man, _Blaise thought to himself. "Look in your little roster and tell me if the name, 'Zabini,' rings any bells," he stressed so that the man could properly digest it.

The man stood wide-eyed and didn't even bother to look back at the clipboard in front of him. "Oh, I had no… ahem," he coughed nervously. "This way sir, we have a table reserved especially for you." He took great pains in trying to avoid bowing and led the way to a table that was a spitting distance from a certain other table for two.

"This is the table you requested, sir?" he offered.

"Yes, thank you. Perhaps next time you should acquaint yourself with all facts before molesting your customers in such a fashion."

"Yes sir - I mean, no sir of course I will." He left them and quickly made his way back to his podium.

"And what exactly was that all about? Since when has your name been frightening? And why on earth are you talking like that?" Draco asked.

"Since my family is responsible for most of the businesses in this area," he continued in his accent. Draco rolled his eyes at him. "There has been, since then, a respect that we take when our presence is graced upon them." He looked over to the man as he said his last words and the man glanced nervously at them and turned away quickly.

"Oh, so I have the pleasure of dining with a member of Central London's equivalent of the Mafia then? Is that why you're talking as if you were born from a dictionary?" he laughed.

"Jest all you like, but when you have required favors with your marks in this area, take a guess at who has had the pleasure of achieving your means." Draco looked again at the man.

"You don't mean?" he said pointing to him.

He shook his head. "No, but his family and many of the other wizarding families who own businesses here have."

"You're joking?" Draco said wide-eyed.

"Do I look like I jest you?"

"Can you stop talking like that please?" he said in an irritated tone.

"Fine," he sighed and reverted back to his common London accent. "Oh, heads up they're here."

Draco turned around and looked toward the entrance. He lazily turned back upon seeing his mark enter the door. "Oh, I thought we were just here to eat." He smiled.

Blaise took a sip from his water and nodded, he swallowed before he spoke. "Well, business and pleasure can be mixed."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "I hardly call this pleasure, Blaise."

Blaise's eyes came back from the door, he smiled cunningly. "No, no my friend, this is business. That," he pointed with his eyes, "is pleasure." He waited for Draco's reaction. "For you anyway," he added as an afterthought. He knew his curiosity would get the better of him sooner or later.

Draco turned again and spun back around immediately. "You are the biggest arsehole I have ever known."

Blaise smiled wickedly. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Her being here is purely accidental." Draco glared at him. Blaise sensed his anger and the obvious intention in his actions so he relented. "I know, but it's for your own good."

Draco rested his hands calmly flat on the table. Blaise knew that the tension between the two was great though, and that the table would viably snap any given second. "How is this for my own good? I have to avoid her at all costs. You're not helping me here. All you're doing is screwing with a perfectly good relationship."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he took the menu from the waitress. "What relationship?" he asked as he watched her walking away with interest.

Draco displayed his point with his hands. "Exactly."

Blaise pointedly ignored him and looked at his menu. After a few moments he said, "Well get out of here then."

Draco looked around him incredulously. "And where am I going to go?"

"I don't know. Clear your head." The waitress came back to their table. "I'll have a number fifty-four but could you hold the oregano. No pepper, I'm allergic to pepper. He'll have number forty-Seven. No salt, he hates salt. Hurry up. And you -." He looked at Draco. "You go to the bathroom." She looked at Draco as if she needed to step away from him immediately and instinctively looked to the floor beneath Draco's chair.

"What are you looking at?" Draco snapped. The girl looked away immediately and nodded to Blaise before walking off.

"What are you waiting for? Go!"

He looked around his chair. "What, right here?" he said angrily.

Blaise gave him an obvious look.

"Well, you know, I thought I should check. Don't want to screw with the Mafia do I?" He smiled and got up. As he turned he hit something, or rather someone, small almost knocking them over. "Oh, I'm…" he trailed.

"It's all right I'm… a bit clumsy sometimes – have we met before?" she said looking up at him.

"No, no I don't think so. I would surely remember." He turned once more to glare at Blaise and then made his way to the bathroom.

"The man didn't hurt you did he?" A hand came to give them their plates of food.

"Pardon?" Ginny looked toward Girard, she had been caught up in her own thoughts of someone she had bumped into on her way to her seat. She knew she had met him before but she couldn't place him anywhere.

Girard looked at his wife in worry. "The man over there. When he bumped into you, he didn't hurt you did he?"

"No, of course he didn't. I'm much stronger than you think you know."

Girard smiled at his wife. "I know dear, I was just checking. You seem… distant."

"Do I?" she said distractedly.

"Yes, since our holiday you haven't quite been yourself."

"I haven't?" she added looking off to a certain table.

He followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow. "And you've been answering in mostly two words."

Ginny turned back at his tone and smiled at him, taking his hand she said, "It's nothing. Honestly."

He let it go and continued eating. "Well, three words are decidedly better than two I suppose. Let's hope more comes with the next sentence."

She smiled again and continued pushing the food around her plate. She looked around the room again. It was a very nice restaurant and the people seemed friendly. It made a difference to being in the house all day long. She didn't know that by marrying him she'd be secluded from all of her friends and family. Not that there was much of any left.

Just then a man dressed in fully black dress robes came to their table. Ginny instantly knew he was one of her husband's 'workers.' In an instant, she knew what was coming next as he bent down and whispered into Girard's ear.

His face became set, but as he looked upon his wife he put on his best pleading face and tried to make his excuses.

"Girard no, you promised me that we'd have an evening out. Why did you even bother?"

"Darling, I'm sorry, business is like this. It's unpredictable. I _have_ to go." With that he dropped his napkin and left the table leaving Ginny alone.

"Invite her over," Blaise whispered.

"What? No!" Draco answered between clenched teeth.

He took no notice and leaned to his side to have a clear view of Ginny at her table, she was sitting alone. "Excuse me?" Blaise called.

Draco almost spat out his food in a cough of surprise. He struck at Blaise's hand when he put it up to call at her. This only resulted in Blaise batting away his hand and putting it up again. "Zabini, what are you doing? Stop that! Stop it. Stop-," he grumbled below his breath.

"Yes?" Ginny answered sweetly. "Are you calling me?" Draco stopped hitting Blaise's hand down and sat still. He hid his face with his hand as Ginny leaned backwards to answer them.

"_We_ noticed that you were dining alone and _we_ wondered if you would like to join us."

"And _we_ are going to have a serious talk when _we _leave," Draco whispered.

"Oh, thank you for the thought but I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Don't be so silly. _We_'d love it, wouldn't _we_?" With the kick under the table Draco turned around and smiled.

"Yes, _we_ so would." It was the fakest smile he could create.

"Well, I suppose I could." She stood up with her plate and sat next to them.

"So what is your name?" Blaise asked her. Draco watched him in fascination. The guy could lie to the Wizengamot if he wanted to.

"Ginevra, Ginevra Thomas."

"Oh well that's a nice name isn't it? Very unusual."

"My mother gave it to me. Big fight between that and Virginia. Very messy." She concluded as she ate. She seemed to have more of an appetite now.

Blaise glanced toward the front of the restaurant. Another strategic kick caught Draco's attention as he turned too. Two men had just stepped out of a carriage in the middle of central London. No doubt they were wizards as the dress robes that bellowed around them proved it. That wasn't what caught their attention though, it was more the fact that they wore beige masks on their faces and had their wands pointed directly to Draco.

Draco sat straight and his face became set. He turned to Blaise and then glanced at Ginny signaling that maybe they should excuse themselves and leave. Blaise shook his head at him and his hand began to move for the inside of his pocket.

"Not here."

"They won't track us here."

Ginny looked at the two men who were having a conversation as if she weren't there. She began to feel she was intruding and almost excused herself when she caught sight of two men standing by the door of the entrance. The beige masks on their faces caused her to panic.

"Oh Gods," she said under her breath.

The two men turned to her. "What was that?"

"Nothing, erm will you excuse me?"

"Do you have to go somewhere?"

"Yes actually I was -." She screamed as a curse missed her by millimeters. It hit the table instead causing it to explode into splinters.

Draco dodged the curse that almost hit him before he heard Blaise yell, "Grab her and keep her down!" Draco grabbed Ginny by the waist as the rest of the restaurant fell into complete panic. People were running everywhere and food went flying in every direction.

"Zabini, don't use your wand!"

"Well what do you want me to use, you ruined my gun!"

Draco sighed exasperated. "I told you I would buy you a new one!"

"I don't want a new one!" They all fell backwards as another spell hit the table they had hidden behind. It was then that they noticed the door to their right. Above it said: _Kitchen, do not enter._

Just then Ginny stood up and took out her wand. "Recuto!" she yelled as she pointed it to the wall the two men had hidden behind to throw their curses. The wall blew up in front of them leaving them unshielded.

"Expelliarmus!" she said again as their wands flew out of their hands. "Incendio!" She laughed as the bottoms of their robes set fire.

"Let's go, we'll talk about this later." Blaise suggested as he looked back from the door. Draco glanced at it.

"Okay." He grabbed hold of Ginny's hand and pulled her across to the door.

"Hey, high heels do not enable me to run this fast!"

"Reducto," Blaise said as the exit blasted open for them to run through.

"We have to get home."

"Nice plan."

Ginny spoke between breaths. "Yeah, I have to get home too. I need an explanation."

They both looked at her. "To what?"

She leaned on a wall for support. "To why my husband just left me in there when he knew they were coming for him."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three

Breaking All the Rules

**Revisiting the Scene **

"Coming for him. Can you believe that, and I thought they were coming for me." He sat back nursing his shoulder. "Did you see the way she handled herself in there?"

Blaise un-wrapped the bandages from the first aid kit in the kitchen. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "You've been talking about it endlessly. All day. Please tell me you're over her now."

"What do you mean?" Draco turned slightly.

"I mean," Blaise said pushing him back, "do you think you can give up this little fixation you have on her now that you've actually had her in your presence."

He let his shoulders drop. "I don't know."

"Please mate. You have to assassinate her husband for Merlin's sake. Though from the looks of it there is more than one person who wants him dead." _Just how many people want this man?_

"Wouldn't you? The guy left his wife in a restaurant when he knew that there were people coming to kill him. What kind of a man does that?"

"The kind that wants to save his arse is what." He tightened the bandage and tied it in a knot.

Draco shook his head. "It's just not done." He hissed at the stinging in his arm as Blaise pulled tightly on the bandage. The damn men in their masks had hit him last night and it still hadn't healed. Using magic was out of the question as Blaise had done that last night and any official within a three mile radius would be searching for them.

"I know. There, all better, it'll heal now if you stop fussing over it."

"Well one good thing came from that," he said as he shrugged on a shirt carefully. He rolled his shoulders to get used to the pain and sat down again buttoning the shirt.

"What's that?"

"After his little display last night, I actually want to kill him." He rested his head trying to get rid of the throbbing in his brain.

"Really, then I guess I should condone this thing you have."

He winced. "Look, mate, it was years ago. I'm over it."

Blaise cocked an eyebrow before shaking his head knowingly as he packed away the first aid kit. "No you're not." Draco raised his head ignoring the pain for a split second. "You aren't me," he elaborated. "You did not feel what I felt between you two last night. It was intense. She, not knowing who you were, had this strange feeling that she had met you before which made it even worse for her to control herself. You, well," he contemplated but looked at him as if it were obvious, "need I say more."

"What do you mean, 'control herself?'"

"I mean, she's a very attractive woman. You… are what some people would class as a very nicely put together man. Her husband abandons her to more or less be killed in the crossfire and guess who's saving her arse, not that it needs saving, but you."

"So?" he said looking around the room. He spotted his coat on the back of the sofa. He eyed the dismal weather outside and wondered if he could dare brave the cold streets especially seeing as ministry officials and otherwise were probably hunting them down.

"So, she was attracted to you," he heard. He turned at this. "Any woman would feel that way about their 'knight in shining armour.' I could feel the hormones flying between you, it was horrible." He grimaced and shuddered mockingly.

"I've had enough of this." He rose from his seat and went to grab at his coat. He gingerly pushed his arms through it and opened the door.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk." With that he left and shut the door.

Draco left the house and entered the streets of London breathing in the fresh, somewhat, air. He looked left and right up and down the wet road deciding the route of his walk. He turned right and began walking fast to rid himself of the prison of an apartment he had come to call home. There were four others around the world but London had always been his home.

He turned endless corners and past the strangers in the street, every few streets he would look around to see if he was being followed. It was never the case but he had to make sure. Blaise had used magic last night and if they had been tracked then officers from the ministry and otherwise would be looking for them. Despite the favors that had been dealt them in the past few years since Draco and Blaise had been on the circuit, they were still 'Unknowns.'

He crossed the street and looked around. As he turned back, his eyes caught a building across the road littered with police officers and yellow tape. It was the restaurant they had eaten in last night. The windows had been smashed and there were cars and vans all over the place. He stood still for a moment just watching the police officers talking amongst themselves.

They were muggle.

"What the…" he questioned softly.

"I know. It's confusing isn't it?" Draco turned to the voice he heard to his side. "I take it you've never been there before?" His look softened a little as he faced the owner.

It was Ginny.

"It turns muggle in the day, wizard by night. Like a hidden identity." She stood before him in a dark, thin material coat and her hair was disarranged. She was drenched as if she had been standing in the rain and her makeup had run as if she had been crying.

"Are you alright?" He looked at her surveying her appearance. As much as she hid her clothes beneath her coat, he could tell that she was still wearing what she had on last night.

She became embarrassed and tightened the coat around her, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry, I must look a mess." She flattened her hair and wiped her eyes causing them to smudge even more. "You remember me don't you, from last night? We were in-."

"I remember you. Why are you here, shouldn't you be at home?" She suddenly burst out crying.

"That's – why I'm here," she swallowed hard.

He looked over her crying form, crying women were not something he came across often. He tended to avoid them at all costs. "I don't quite follow."

"I don't want to go home. I did go home, but I don't want to anymore." She tucked another damned piece of hair behind her ear and walked toward the window of a nearby shop and leaned against it. She looked cold. As any gentleman would, he took of his coat and cloaked it over her. She looked terrible.

"You've been out here all night haven't you? Why?"

She pushed her arms through the coat. "I don't know." She suddenly looked up at him and smiled somewhat. "I was hoping to run into you." She turned back to the ground quickly.

"Me?" Suddenly, what Blaise had said to him ran back through his mind.

"It sounds stupid, I don't even know you. I'm sorry."

"It's not stupid." He leaned against the window and looked at her. "A little bizarre perhaps but not stupid. After all, here I am, so it wasn't such a bad idea."

She smiled, "I guess not." She continued to stare at the scene across the street.

_Ginny what the hell are you thinking, as if this is helping anything. You need to find someone you know, not someone you only just met. What can he do anyway?_ She chanced a glance at him. _He doesn't even care what's happened to you._ She groaned inwardly. _Why the hell am I here? I need to find a friend. Think, Ginny think! Who can you remember?_ She stared to the ground ahead of her. She couldn't remember anyone. There wasn't anyone to help with her pain. She had no-one to tell of what she had seen and how much it had hurt.

These thoughts made the tears come fiercer than the night before when she had slept on the ground in the alleyway. She had looked up at the sky last night and asked the fates why they had given her this life, this life where she would end up marrying a ruthless man with no concern for anything but his work that would leave his wife to die if need be and go home to another woman.

She would never forget walking in on them both. They hadn't even seen her when she walked into her closet to retrieve a coat and stormed back outside. She had heard laughter and it had echoed down the hall way as she left and ran into the night. Sometime last night it had rained and she had woken to it this morning. Walking the streets she had wandered aimlessly and had come to this same spot where she had met a stranger who had saved her life, the same one she was standing next to and leaning on the shop window.

"Are you crying again?" he asked.

Ginny turned away to hide her tears but it only resulted in more searing their way down. She pushed herself off the window and started walking fast down the street before breaking into a run. She turned the corner and slowed down hearing the sounds of her footsteps on the pavement. She crossed the road into Regent's Park and walked on the wet grass. It wasn't until she heard footsteps behind her did she quicken her pace. When she sped up she felt a hand at the crook of her arm.

"Please just leave me alone, I don't want to get you involved," she cried.

"Involved? You just said you were waiting for me. Plus, you have my coat."

Ginny looked to her shoulders and at the coat that draped her. It was warm and she had forgotten it was there. She shrugged it off and gave it to him then walked off as she gripped her arms and rubbed them to get rid of the cold.

He draped it over her again. "I gave it to you to keep you warm. You look like your freezing." She welcomed the warmth of the coat once more on her shoulders as he led her to a nearby bench.

They sat in silence for a long time just looking out to the morning mist in the park. The trees faded to grey in the distance with hints of green and brown at the trunks of each tree. Draco looked over at her, she was rocking backwards and forwards on the bench trying to keep herself warm. He stood up and she jumped at his sudden movement.

"Come on." He held out his hand.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere warm. I have a feeling you need it."

As he entered the house he looked around for signs of Blaise. He must have gone home when Draco left. Ginny followed him in and stood in the entrance hall as he shut the door behind her. She looked around and almost gasped. It was the perfect contrast, light neutral colours against the dark brown leather. It had an urbane, almost polished look. He had expensive taste, almost as much as her soon to be ex-husband. At the thought of her husband it made her wonder.

_What does this guy do for a living?_

It was a valid question as the rich people in her life always tended to be involved in some kind of ruthless operation. She had chosen to ignore her husband's activities, but in her opinion, no person that fits these descriptions could be trusted. Looking at him, she took in his appearance. He looked tired as if he needed sleep. She browsed around the room keeping her arms crossed not wanting to touch anything, just merely leaning over anything she found interesting to take a better look. As she reached the kitchen she noticed the medical kit on the counter. She frowned and looked at him for any signs of injury. _Why didn't he just heal himself with magic?_ She knew he was capable of it. Though looking back, she hadn't actually seen him raise a wand at all.

'_Is he muggle?'_ she thought briefly before seeing him take his wand out of his pocket. _Guess not,_ she retorted as he walked up to her and took the kit back to a room which, judging from the tiles on the walls, she would only think as the bathroom.

He was very quiet, like he had been last night. During their dinner he had only talked at least once and she was sure he was being forced to by his friend. She suddenly wandered where he was.

"Where is your friend from last night? Does he live here too?"

"Who, Blaise? No, he lives somewhere else. He'll probably be over later though." She nodded and leaned against the counter. "You can sit down you know. Would you like something to drink? Tea, Coffee, Alcohol? I may not have much of the last one but I can try to find something," he said as he opened the fridge.

She smiled as she made her way to the sofa. "Tea will be fine, thank you." The softness of it made her comfortable easily, she was sure it was charmed. Behind her was a large window that went one length of the apartment, the blinds were down but they were still tilted open. She looked outside. They were very high, near the top floor if this height was anything to go by.

She must have been staring for a while as a steaming cup was being handed to her when she withdrew her eyes from the cold streets of London. She took the cup from his hand and sipped at it, grateful for the extra warmth.

"So, what happened?" he asked as she seemed to relax into the sofa.

She shook her head. "I never should have married him. I know that now."

"Surely it can't be that bad."

She laughed emptily. "That's what his mother said."

He frowned. "What does your mother say?"

She looked down. "I don't have a mother."

He continued frowning. If she had only been married for one year, how could she have been separated from her own family for so long? He knew that Molly wasn't dead, her son had been congratulated just days ago for a man that Blaise had done in and she was in the paper with him at the ceremony.

"My mother left and my father died when the community was at war. I suppose I blamed myself because I wasn't there. I left my brothers. Last I heard they had actually moved from the burrow and were living somewhere in Nottingham and my mother died somewhere in the south. I had planned to visit them once but -." She paused and looked at him. She seemed to be wondering if she should tell him something. It seemed she decided against it and put on a smile. It would have proved to be true if he wasn't the master at noticing all fake emotions. It came with the job, witnessing interrogations and such. "I fell in love," she said holding the smile in place. It faded and tears brimmed in her eyes again as she sipped at her tea.

He watched her as a tear streamed down her cheek, something had made her feel differently about the relationship with her husband. He suddenly remembered the journeys that Girard Thomas had made on his holiday from home, he suddenly felt quite angry and guessed why she didn't want to go home. She wiped it away and sniffed. "So I am guessing from the look of you that you have fallen out of it?"

She looked away from him. "You could say that."

"Could I say that it was probably infidelity?" he said in a guessing voice, though he knew it was most definitely true.

She looked at him and held his gaze. Looking into his eyes somehow felt safe. "Yes you could say that too."

"How about, he's not worth it."

"Well, that is certainly proving to be true." She put the cup down on the table in front of her. When she sat back again he was still looking at her with a piercing gaze that made her tremble. She tightened her coat around her and crossed her arms. _Trembling gazes or not, I still don't know who he is and now is definitely not a good time for that kind of thinking Ginevra, not at all._

"Do you want to take off your coat? It's not good to wear wet clothes. You're still trembling, I can see it."

_Yes, I'm trembling, but not for the reasons you think,_ she thought.

"Do you want some dry clothes?"

"Do you have any that will fit me?"

"Probably not, but you can charm them to fit you if need be." She wanted to question why he was dead set on not using magic but relented. It was none of her business.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter four

Breaking All the Rules

**Revelations**

"Hello?" Blaise called as he opened Draco's door. "Anyone in?" he walked along the hallway and put the keys down on the kitchen counter. The medical kit was gone so he must have come home at some point. Draco came out of the bedroom and watched Blaise in contempt.

Draco crossed his arms. "I hate you."

Blaise looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He dismissed this comment though, like he did all his other comments and turned back to the kitchen. "And what, prey tell, have I done now?" he said as he put one of the bags he was carrying on the table and the other on the floor. He then emptied his pockets of his wallet and various other items.

"She walked in on her husband shagging some other woman."

He stopped and looked directly at Draco. "What?" he asked thoroughly confused. That was not the answer he had thought would come with a welcome like that.

"Ginny, she walked in on Girard shagging some other woman when she went home. After that, she wondered the streets of London apparently waiting for me to come along and… well, save her I guess."

He looked understanding. "I see. So I was right, I presume that is why you hate me then?" he said choosing a stool.

"Yes, you could say that."

Blaise rummaged through the bag on the table. "Could I say how you got this information?" he said as he took out numerous containers of take-out food and placed them on the counter.

"You could guess." Draco scrutinized the amount of food coming out of the bag. There would only be one reason why Blaise would order that much.

Blaise got up screwing up the bag and put it in one of the below cupboards. "No, I could say. I can sense her in the house, she's worried and I can feel 'it' in the room," he said raising his hands in disgust. "It's soaking up the walls," he said wincing.

"Feel 'it?' what is 'it?'"

He turned from the crockery cupboard. "The sexual tension," he said returning to it. "I take it you haven't slept with her yet then?" He took out a bowl and set it on the table as he picked up the newspaper.

Draco tightened his arms across his chest as he leaned on the wall to the kitchen watching his friend through narrowed eyes. "No, and I don't intend to."

Blaise sighed like he had heard it all before. "Sure, whatever." He dropped the newspaper on the counter and went to sit on the sofa. "So, where is she?"

"Taking a shower."

"Ah, and what will she wear when she exits it?"

"Clothes," he said sardonically raising an eyebrow.

"Where are the files for Mr. Thomas?" Leveret came out of his office and clicked his fingers at the secretary outside.

"Pardon sir?" she said jumping.

He sighed in annoyance, he really needed to get better help around here. "The files, woman, the files. Where are they?"

"Oh, they're here Sir." She handed over a small folder full of information on the Thomas case.

He sifted through the piles and paused. "Where's the report from the marker?" Leveret called to her as he turned back.

She bit her bottom lip not wanting to answer but knew she had to anyway. "He hasn't sent one in Sir," she said slowly.

His hands went to his hips. "Why not?"

She continued in a cautious manner. "Because the mark isn't dead yet, Sir."

"And why not?" he squinted evilly.

"Um, I don't know?" she tried.

"Then find out!" he roared and the whole office turned to them. He turned to go back into his office sifting through the file again as she got up to go straight to a nearby fax machine when he called back. "Hold on."

She looked at him through her oval spectacles. "Yes, sir," she gulped.

"This is the wrong file."

Draco's eyes went to the food in front of Blaise as he sat on the island in the kitchen. "So how has your day been then, you were gone when I came back."

"Yes I was wasn't I?" he said. "I had something to take care of." He poured the sauce from the container over the food he had spooned onto his plate.

"In what sense," Draco asked from the sofa.

Blaise stopped and wondered at Draco's curiosity. "In the charmed bullets sense," he said shortly. "Do you want some?"

"Yeah, I'll take a little."

"I wish I'd known you had company, I would have brought more."

"There's enough," he said looking at the numerous containers on the counters.

"Not for me there isn't. I'm a growing man my friend. I need the nutrients in this line of work."

"In the form of Chinese food?"

"Any food is good for me, especially since I haven't had a proper meal in years. You can't tell me you don't miss home cooked meals. You may be good but nothing can compare to my servant's meals. They felt so homely."

Draco laughed. "Most people say that about their mother's meals."

Blaise rested his arms, spoon in hand, on the surface and stared at him. "And when was my mother going to cook? I'm sure she didn't even know where, let alone what, a kitchen was." They both laughed at this. It was true, growing up in the houses they did, motherly home cooked meals were not something they came by at all.

"So, who was it?" Draco asked.

"Some man who had been threatening some business or another. I didn't read the file very much. Just the address and the schedule."

"You killed him then," he said noting the food he was piling into a bowl.

Blaise looked at him and smiled a genuine smile. He knew what Draco was looking at. He laughed emptily. "I didn't kill him. I shot at the gas canister outside his house. The explosion," he stated and repeated for good measure. "The explosion and the fire killed him. Ooh," he said picking up the other bag he had on the ground, he threw it to him. "I bought a new gun. I'll have to take it to the charmers to get the right fixtures but I'm sure I can make it work."

He dropped the subject and opened the bag. It looked the same as the old one except for a few minor differences. "I told you I'd buy you a new one. Why did you have to go out again? It's going to be hell for me to borrow this off you if I haven't bought it."

"That's exactly why I did," he smiled wickedly. "You are never coming anywhere near my belongings as long as she is in the picture." He pointed with his eyes to the door behind him.

Draco turned around to see if she was there. He suddenly realised that maybe they shouldn't be talking so openly with her in the other room.

"Fine, I'll just have to get my own then. Why didn't you get me one when you were there? You seem to have more of an eye for them than I do. You know I could pay you back."

"Perhaps. Fine, I suppose I could. I'll have to go back out then." Just then the fax machine beeped. He looked at it from the kitchen as a page filled with writing came out through the bottom. "I'll never understand those things. How do they work?"

"Never mind that. I'll have to go back to the manual to explain that, which, by the way, was not a pleasurable experience as none of it made sense in English. I had to fork up years of French and Spanish lessons to understand it properly." Blaise snorted as he handed Draco the bowl of food. Just then another person came out of the bedroom.

"Well hello there. I heard you had taken a sudden residence, how are you feeling?"

"A little shaken but I'm fine." Ginny sat down next to Draco. The bag that had sat there before was picked up and pushed behind the sofa creating a clatter.

Blaise sighed and winced at the same time. Draco smirked at him. "I'll buy you a new one."

"You better bloody well had. Honestly it's like keeping a toddler." He went back to the counter in the kitchen that stood next to the sofa. "Would you like something to eat, Ginevra wasn't it?"

"Yes and no, no thank you."

"Have you got anyone to owl that can help you through this? Friends, family…" He noted the look on her face. "Anyone at all?"

"I only had Girard. Foolish isn't it?"

"No not really. One would think that they could trust their spouse with everything they have. At least that's what they vow to Merlin, the Wizengamot and to the Gods." Blaise drank from his bottle of beer. "I'm glad that I don't plan on tying the knot any time soon. Thank and curse the Gods for my job." Draco watched his friend as he went through all the well known rituals. After he had 'crossed out' a mark he would always go out and stuff himself on food. It was a trait, as was Draco's way of just focusing on anything else in his own way. It was all you could do to not go crazy. That was part of the reason Blaise owned the contracts for a chain of restaurants in London.

Killing people was a job after all, not a lifestyle. Especially to the weak willed man, if you focused on the fact that you assassinate people for a living, it could drive anyone to the point of insanity. It had happened before to others they knew, that was why they had kept a close friendship in order to focus their lives somewhat. Blaise always commented in the same way, that he never directly did anything. He merely set off a chain of events that he couldn't tie himself to for the guilt to weigh him down. Draco in his own way did the same.

Denying it completely was just a waste of time and energy and the fastest route to ruin.

"So, what do you do for a living?" Ginny asked Blaise as he spooned another helping of food onto his plate. "It must be something that involves moving around if you eat like that."

Blaise looked down. "You could say that, I do move around a lot." He thought for a while. "All over the world actually."

"So what do you do?" she asked intrigued.

"I cause people to _stop_ moving," he said darkly and pointedly looked directly at her. His eyes portrayed no emotion.

"Pardon?"

"_What he means is_," Draco stressed for her to draw her attention and to partly get her to leave Blaise alone. He never did like to talk about these things after what he had done. Doing what he did was one thing but being an empath with it was another. He, unlike all other markers like him, was able to feel the pain of those he killed. After some training he had been able to put up his barriers but Draco knew that he suffered more than any of them put together. "We are part of an organization which deals in the _transport_ of…"

"Goods." Draco looked at him. "I _transport_ valuable items. Sometimes they go to local museums sometimes they go to places abroad. They are extremely important to our clients. Like a life, one might say. Priceless to keep them protected, but it costs dearly if they are destroyed whilst I _transport_ them." He shrugged. "I get paid either way though."

Draco smirked at his friend's obvious hidden meaning. "I do something similar, but with the more unknown items in the world. Rare and hidden from sight but valuable if they are _transported_ nonetheless." Blaise smiled at him.

"So if they're broken, you don't have to pay for the damage?" Ginny asked inquisitively.

The smile left Blaise's face. "We pay in our own way, don't worry," Blaise said saddened as he cleared his plate.

"Oh," Ginny said intrigued as he got up and took his plate to the sink.

"Well, who wants ice-cream?"

"You're not serious? You just ate a whole restaurant."

"Growing man my friend, growing man. So?"

Ginny stood up. "I fancy something sweet. Let me get my coat."

Draco watched the both of them as they headed to the door. "You're not coming?" Blaise asked. Draco got up and walked to his bedroom as another beep from the fax machine rang in the room. Blaise, interested, took another look at what came through on the paper. He hadn't paid attention before but was enraptured in it as he stared at the picture on the top page.

"Um, Ginevra, could we meet you outside? There is something I need to speak to him about. You wouldn't mind would you?"

"No," she said smiling. "Not at all. You've both done so much for me already." She turned and walked out of the apartment and headed to the stairs to walk down. She figured if they had to talk then she had better take the longest route to avoid having to wait for them for too long.

"Draco, get out here now!"

"What?" he came out rapidly looking for danger. "What's happened, where did she go?"

"Never mind her, she's safe for now. Look at this."

"For now, what do you mean?"

"Just read this and you'll see." There were two pages. One of which Blaise had kept. He handed him the one full of writing.

_Marker,_

_It seems there has been a slight misunderstanding in your charge. As you know of the incapability of the workers here I feel I have no need to explain. I will trust this gets to you before you do something stupid. Enclosed is a picture of your mark, we regret this misunderstanding._

_Office of Leveret's unLTD and associates._

Below was a series of addresses and a schedule for three months that he recognized to be the same schedule he had memorized. The address was Thomas' address as was the others for his homes that he would have stayed in from his itinerary.

"What's the problem?" he asked perplexed.

"Do you remember the name of the mark?"

"Yeah, Girard Thomas."

"No, that is the name of the client." He said thrusting the other page in his hand at him. "Not the name of the mark."

"So, I don't have to kill him then?" he said taking the paper and looking at him.

"No, worse." He gestured with his eyes to the paper. Draco looked down.

"Oh gods."

"Exactly."

He read the paper from beginning to end twice before settling on the picture of the mark. The damn secretaries had gotten it wrong. Mr. G Thomas was indeed the client they had to kill for. The mark however was a different story.

**Reason for termination**: **_Witness, liability._**

His stomach turned as he carried on down the page. He sighed as he leaned against the counter putting the paper next to him on the surface. Curses flew out of his mind as he glanced over every word under the segment that said 'Personal Details.'

**Name**: **_Mrs. G Thomas_**.

**Relation to client**: **_Wife._**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Five

Breaking All the Rules

**A Stroll through the Park**

"Where are you taking me, let me go!" Ginny called as they crossed through the park. People had started to look in their direction as Draco dragged her along.

"Just having a lover's tiff, nothing to worry about," Blaise ensured as he walked carefully behind them. Some of them looked away but were still eyeing them curiously.

"Will you stop struggling it's for your own good dammit!" He pulled her even closer to stop her from running away.

"I said, Let me go!" She pulled at his arm and bit down on it hard.

"Ow! Bloody – Merlin – bitch!" he yelled as she ran straight for an exit.

"Oh no," Blaise said as she ran away from them.

"I know, she bit me." Draco examined his hand.

"No mate, _that_, oh no." He pointed to where she had run off. She was looking behind to see if they were following her. She didn't see that in front of her there were a group of men in wizarding robes. With beige masks on their faces.

"They wouldn't attack in broad daylight would they? Not in the middle of muggle London." He watched as they reached into their pockets.

"Draco." They withdrew their wands.

"Oh shit."

"Draco, you have to get her out of there."

"Oh shit." He began running straight for Ginny, but when she saw him follow she only began running faster and directly into the direction of the group of men.

He had almost reached her, damn she was fast. "Ginny slow down, you have to stop!" He ran past some more muggles that were sitting on the grass in the afternoon sun. They watched with playful eyes as an apparent couple ran through the park.

Suddenly an idea happened upon Blaise, he smiled knowing what would get her to stop. "Draco! Hurry up," he called. The men raised their wands to her and began chanting.

Abruptly, Ginny stopped running and turned. "Draco?" Had she heard that right?

He, on the other hand, hadn't and couldn't stop in time. "Ginny get down!" Her eyes widened as he crashed into her knocking her to the ground just in time for the curses to sail over them.

Draco looked up and saw them assembling into some sort of order. He turned back toward Blaise. "Zabini, a little bit of help here if you can!" He looked back at Ginny. "Are you alright?" She nodded quickly still registering what was going on. "Good, are you willing to listen now because if you aren't you're going to get killed." She looked up at the men who were trying to kill her. She instantly nodded again. "Right," he sighed. "When I say go." He looked at her expectantly waiting for her to comprehend. She nodded again lost for words. "Blaise, how's it coming?"

"Just say when!"

"When!" he yelled as he took out his wand. "Please Merlin don't let us get caught. Expelliarmus!" he pointed his wand to the group and every wand went flying away from their owners. He looked down at Ginny. "Come on, we have to go." He pulled her up and they ran.

"Machaera luminum," Blaise said as multiple orbs of green light shot out of his wand and hovered above him in a circle. "Appropinquate." He pointed his wand toward the group and the orbs moved forward quickly advancing on each member. Blaise waited until every orb reached their opponent, some of them had begun following the attackers as they ran after the pair. When he was certain, he made two large swoops with his wand arm as if fencing with a sword and the orbs copied his movements. Like a blade they cut through the robes and large gashes came through on their backs and on the fronts of those who had not dared to run. They fell instantly as others in the park screamed and ran in every which direction. Blaise watched them fall then blew the top of his wand as if it had emitted smoke.

"Oh yeah, I still got it," he said before realising he had just used his wand again, in broad daylight and in front of muggles who were now running away and screaming. He had to get out of there before ministry officials came down on him. Not wanting to risk apparating, he began to run after Draco and Ginny who had just reached the outside of the park. They waited for him at the gate.

"Took you long enough, you just had to show off didn't you?" Draco smirked.

"What are you?" Ginny finally managed through ragged breaths.

Blaise smiled. "Oh, she talks then," he laughed. "Come on we have to get out of here before they arrive. Leveret will have your head when he finds out."

"Who's Leveret?"

"Later," Draco said as he pulled on her arm to cross the street.

They ran through numerous alleyways and roads before coming to an old abandoned warehouse, unnoticeable unless you were looking for it. Ginny gasped as she took in the sight of it, it was huge. Blaise disarmed the wards and went inside holding them open for the other two to step in before arming them again.

As she walked inside, Ginny noted the sudden warmth before looking around. Draco dropped her hand and walked off behind Blaise to go up the stairs. Once again, Ginny gasped at the surroundings. Inside was nothing like the outside at all. Whilst outside was dingy and full of dirt, rotten wood and metal and countless bad odors, inside was the most beautifully decorated home she had ever seen. She was standing in a great entrance hall, which could have been a room of its own it was so large. Everywhere Ginny looked, was polished stone in the most beautiful pastel colours. The white walls throughout the room added a maximum of light, from the great chandelier above that hung with valor, which complemented the texture of painted stone ceilings. Intricate vines weaved their way throughout the room, threaded through the pillars, fused in the walls that suspended the ceiling above.

'_What the hell do these people do?' _she thought as she watched Blaise and Draco ascend the stone stairs.

"Draco," she whispered to herself. She couldn't believe she had run into him again. He had saved her life twice and had risked his own and Blaise's to do it. She still wasn't sure how they had but they kept on talking about people after them and such, which gave her the feeling that she had gotten herself into something huge.

"Excuse me?" she called to them as they reached the top of the stairs. They turned to face her. "Where exactly am I and why have you brought me here?" Blaise apparated down the stairs and stood to face her as she jumped. "I thought-," she began before he cut her off.

"Wards love. It's my home, I wanted to have at least some kind of magical life in this damn place we call London." He began to walk up the stairs and gestured for her to follow. Draco waited for them at the top. "I tell Draco all the time that we could just stay in the States and have a life but he always wants to come back to England cos he was born here. He doesn't listen of course and just keeps getting himself into trouble that he can't possibly get out of with out my help." As he reached the top he faced Draco. "I used powerful magic for you today, I hope you can pay me back."

"I am, as I have always been, in your debt Zabini." He bowed for good measure.

Blaise smiled at him. "Hmm. No need for gestures, Malfoy, sarcasm gets you nowhere with me." He laughed as he walked to the left staircase. "Come on, we have to get out of this country." Draco made to follow but stopped when Ginny wouldn't. Blaise, sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, turned to her from the stairs. "He'll explain everything to you, Ginevra. I promise he will but now we need to leave. It's a matter of your own security as well as ours." She slowly started to walk up behind them.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she followed them down a broad corridor.

He opened a door to a bright room full of maps of the world all over the walls. There were old looking maps that looked as if they had gone through hell and back, some new ones and smaller more detailed ones underneath them. It was quite a collection. She looked at each one as she passed them, in front of each map on the wall stood a podium with a small item on display at the top. Nothing in particular but they were all seated on a cushioned pillow of their own. She guessed that he traveled a lot like he had said and brought back souvenirs from each trip. However, after what she had seen she wondered if what he said about his job was true.

"You've been decorating, Zabini," Draco said as he made his way along a map of China.

"Just a little something here and there," he shrugged as he studied the large world atlas that stood in front of him. It covered the whole wall as if it were wallpaper.

"What is this place?" Ginny asked in wonderment.

Draco looked at her awestruck face and smiled. "You've heard of the floo network?" She nodded as she looked at him. "Well, this is Blaise's personal port-key network. He has a house in every country on these walls." Ginny looked at the large room, it stretched far down to what she was sure to be the end of the warehouse outside, maybe even larger. Her attention then turned to the world map that Blaise was studying.

"So the world map must mean you have a home in every country in the world then?" she laughed.

"Well, no, not one in every country. I have two in Borneo and three in Hawaii, an estate in Brazil and two condos and a house in Australia. There may be a few around the States too. Can't stay in one place can I, where's the fun in that?"

Ginny gave him an 'are you serious?' look before Draco stopped her from talking.

"Some people collect art." Was all he said. She nodded and followed him to the map of England. There was no port key in front of it like the others. There were detailed road maps and tube maps pinned to the walls neatly and she watched them.

"What do you do for a living? Really do. People who can conjure up 'The Blade of Light,' do more than just transport valuable items." Blaise looked at her and then dragged his gaze to Draco before returning to the Atlas in front of him.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you," Draco started.

She turned to him. "Well then why didn't you tell me who you were?" She watched him imploringly. "All the time in the restaurant it seemed as though you were hiding your face from me. Didn't you want to talk to me at all after all these years? Why not, have I done something?" He fell silent.

"Draco, please tell me."

"Will you bloody tell the woman? My head is killing me already and the damn feelings in this room are going to make my head burst!" Blaise shouted from the other side of the room.

Ginny looked at him in wonder. "He's an empath," Draco said.

"Ah." It was all she needed to know.

"I think you need to sit down."

"Why?"

"Because what I tell you will either make you want to pass out or run off and I would rather have some leverage to be able to stop both from happening."

Ginny chose a small cushioned bench near the tube map of London. Draco joined her and he sat thinking where to start.

"How about from the beginning," she suggested sensing he was having trouble.

"Okay," he breathed. "A few years ago-."

"Seven years ago," Blaise inserted.

"Seven years ago," he started again, "when the war began there was a group of us who didn't want to choose sides. We didn't like the thought of servitude if you must. Well, we were happy for a few months until some clan came in and murdered one of our friends. When I returned with Blaise, after retrieving a call about someone who wanted to join, we found him slaughtered on the ground of our hideaway."

"Oh my god," Ginny said through watery eyes.

"Naturally, even though we were meant to be neutral, we went after the bastards. We found them – about a hundred or so – and we killed them all in the same way, just leaving them on the ground for all to see. When we left, this man called Leveret caught us."

"The guy that will have your head?" she asked.

"Yeah, him. He told us we had great potential for a business he was creating. Of course, we told him to shove it because we weren't interested. Then he told us of the value for our services."

"What?" she said not believing what she was hearing.

"Money was tight back then, we needed it. There were things to pay for that we couldn't get, we were stealing from the bases to get food and supplies. We-." He gestured to Blaise who was fiddling with some orb he had decided to become enraptured in. "- thought that if we did those few things then we would be able to survive."

She sat back on the bench and sighed. "So what did you do?"

"Well, erm." He swallowed not knowing if he should continue.

They didn't notice Blaise walking up to them. He was standing right above them when they noticed he was there. He crouched down so that Ginny could see him levelly. "We made people stop moving." He then gave Draco two sheets of paper which he folded and put in his pocket.

"Don't give me that… Wh – what?" she said shakily.

"Gin." He sighed. "We – I was hired to kill your husband, Mr. G Thomas. At least I thought it was your husband I was supposed to kill. Leveret's secretaries are the most workably challenged people you will ever come across-."

"You were hired to do _what_?" she said in raggedy breaths as tears escaped her eyes.

"Listen to me." He reached forward to hold her hand, anything, but she pulled away.

"You were hired to do what? Don't touch me, you – both of you disgust me! Don't touch me!" She rose quickly and made for the door. She only just made it before Blaise sealed it shut.

"Dammit, she's a fast one."

"Don't get me started," Draco said as he remembered their run through the park.

Blaise opened the door and followed Draco out as he ran down the corridor after Ginny calling her name.

"Stay the hell away from me!" she screamed as she made it to the stairs.

"Ginny listen to me. I thought it was your husband but it wasn't."

She spun around on the stairs and faced him. "Oh and that makes it better does it? As long as it has nothing to do with me its fine is it? Think again, Malfoy. What you're doing is wrong, can't you see that?" she spun again but he grabbed her arm. "You're no more than a murderer."

"Assassin. There's a difference."

"Really," she laughed emptily.

"Yes. Murderers, like our clients, have reasons. We just do as instructed."

She scoffed. "Let go of me, murderer."

"What about your husband," he said squeezing tighter, _the nerve of her_. "Pray tell what does he do for a living? Do you even know or were you too blind to go past his conniving and see that he left you for another whore every night." She gasped and he mentally hated himself for shooting so low.

She pulled away from him as if his touch burned her. "How _dare_ you?" she said in a dangerous whisper. "How would you know anyway? Have you been stalking us or something?"

"Something." Blaise came down the stairs to meet them. "We were tracking you, your husband anyway because we had to get to know his schedule. That's a very dangerous man you married, Ginevra. I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."

"I know my husband thank you very much."

"Did you know that he is the director of an elite group that rules the dark magic streets of the wizarding world? Sure, they're not as bad as a Deatheater, but they certainly cut it close to the line," Blaise said.

"You're lying," Ginny retorted through watered down eyes.

"You're a liability to him now and he wants you gone. From the sights of things he has already replaced you."

"You're lying. Stop it!"

"Is this lying?" Draco said sternly as he thrust two pages at her from his pocket. She took them slowly and began to read. She looked up at them both with contempt before turning the page. At the sight of her picture on the top of the page, she broke down. She read the details of her hair and eye colour, her build and height down to her name and the relation to the client. "Like I said, we do as instructed. You're husband is the murderer, not us."

She looked up at him. "My husband wants me killed?" she said disbelievingly. "Why?"

"We already told you, you're a liability to him, the secretaries in the office mixed up the name of the client with the name of the mark. That was why there was no picture of him in the records, we're not supposed to know who they are. When we asked for information on him it was given to us by means of-." He looked towards Blaise. "-persuasion." He smiled. "It was there we found out what he did and how he was known in the community. He hired us, Ginny." She shook her head not wanting to believe it. "Mr. G Thomas was put under the mark's name instead of Mrs. G Thomas. Read on if you still don't believe us."

She kept reading, when her eyes stopped again at her name.

**Name**: **_Mrs. G Thomas_**.

**Relation to client**: **_Wife._**

**Reason for termination**: **_Witness, liability._**

"Witness? Witness to what?"

"That's what we want to know."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Six

Breaking All the Rules

**Knowing where to Go**

"Where the hell did that come from?" Harry said as he looked at the chart behind him. There was a detailed map of London on display and they had all turned to stare at it in disbelief when two dark crimson colours lit up in Regent's Park.

"Here," Ron said as he pointed to it. "Right by the eastern entrance. Holy Merlin," he added in disbelief.

"What?"

"It's the Blade of Light, where the hell did they learn that?"

"The what?"

"It's a rare charm," Hermione said as she walked into the room. The whole section was on alert and the high level Aurors had started to arrive. "It's very rare and extremely difficult to learn. They stopped teaching it in Aurors training classes because no-one could master it, it's very hard to control. From the looks of it, this wizard or witch has high levels of control because they've released more than one."

"What!" Ron exclaimed.

"And here look, a small expelliarmus spell just ahead of it was cast moments before. It's probably a duel or something, the other person tried to disarm them but they were too strong." She put her finger on the smaller mark. "What's this?" she said as her hand trailed to a foggy area a few metres away from the two marks.

"Erm, " Harry said squinting. "It looks like multiple wands, it was a chant or something. Perhaps they were trying to help."

"No, look at it. It's a dark spell. They probably ganged up on the poor guy." Her finger went back to the smallest mark. "He didn't have a chance."

"Well let's go and find out." Ron turned and signaled for the rest in the room to follow him.

"Wait," she said stopping them. They all paused and turned. "Look, don't you find something strange here?"

Harry returned to the map. "What do you mean?"

"I mean look at it, there are no names here. A large group with a chant, one rare charm and an expelliarmus and our spells can't pick up one name."

"Well that only means one thing, doesn't it?" Ron said smiling.

Harry turned to him and nodded. "'Unknowns,'" they said simultaneously.

Harry smiled, finally a challenge. "They're wanted."

Ron waved his hand for the rest to follow again. "Come on, let's bring them in." They left for the apparition room and apparated to the scene of the crime to find… no-one.

"What?" Harry said deflated. He looked around, there was nothing there.

"Where did they all go?"

"I don't know." Suddenly there were loud noises surrounding them. "Oh Merlin." Harry turned to see the flashing lights approaching the park.

"What, what is it?" Ron turned to see them too. "What is that?" he said squinting to see cars coming in their direction.

"We have to go, we can come back later."

"Why?"

"The police are here."

Ginny sat on the bottom stair that faced the front door. She knew that the outside of the door looked nothing like it did inside. She knew that the patterned glass and mahogany wood was replaced with rusty metal and chains that encircled old metal fences and locks. It was a safe hideaway that any man would want, where no-one would find them or even think of looking. As she sat there, staring at the door, she suddenly felt safe because she knew no-one could get to her.

"I have decided, I want to go to Venezuela. I need to check up on those servants anyway. I haven't been there in ages and I don't trust them to keep everything in tact."

"When do we leave?"

"Well it's four in the evening now and they're about five hours behind so it's about eleven o'clock there. We can leave now."

Draco sighed. "Fine. Ginny?" he called. Ginny turned around to face him from the stairs. "We're leaving."

Ginny, knowing she had no choice anyway, got up. If she stayed, she was probably going to get killed and if she left there was less of a chance of that.

Blaise pulled at Draco to speak softly. "We have to make a stop first."

"Where?" Draco asked as Ginny walked up beside them.

Blaise looked at her. "La isla."

"What?" he said loudly making Ginny jump. She grabbed at her chest. "No! If you take her there they'll kill her on sight."

Ginny's head shot up suddenly interested in their quiet conversation. "What?"

"If they don't know who she is it'll be fine. The list doesn't go that far. It's not as if it's likely that a mark would go on the island anyway. They'll never know."

Draco looked contemplative. "Fine, but you-." He turned to Ginny and caught her gaze immediately. "-you stay close to me and don't you dare leave my sight."

"You don't-."

"I mean it. Think back to the park. If you think two of us after you are bad don't try to think what an island of us can do." He walked into the room with Blaise leaving her at the door.

Ginny stood frozen. "An island?"


	8. Chapter 8

A/N I am so grateful for the reviews I get. The first few chapters I didn't get all that much feedback so I stopped upating for a while until my beta went 'hey you started, what the hell?' so the rest of it is coming. It's all finished anyway, has been fora really long time now. Chapter five I dedicated to Jelly Wombat because... well you're just too smart for your own good aren't you? Thank you for the reviews. It's nice to know there is a reasont o keep posting. Oh and the whole no '' thing to seperate the scenes, it wasn't intentional. I swear, it was all typed out with seperator and whatnot and then when I uploaded it here, it didn't stay so after the thrid try, I gave up trying. Also in this chapter there is a timetable listed. I tried over and over again to fix it but, like before, it's at a loss and comes out only as a list of bold underlined words. Therefore I shall direct you to a place where it actually came out. http /www. fictionalley. org/authors /olitrin/ BATR07. htmlyou want to read the rest shrugs it's up to you, but I would prefer not to ruin the surprises coming up. However, it's up to you guys. Enjoy!

Chapter Seven

Breaking All the Rules

**La Isla de los Asesinos**

The first thing that hit her was the heat. She fell backwards with the force of it and had to lean against a tree. There were heavy cuts and ridges in them and she ran her hand along them before being cut from her thoughts. "They're sword marks or knives, daggers, spears and such. You'll find them all over the place." Blaise looked at the forest they had landed in. "It's our playground," he said with a commemorative smile. Ginny gulped and followed them as they made their way through thick bushes.

They crossed through to a large clearing. Ginny stepped out and faced the immense wooden gate in front of her. It was draped in vines and beautiful flowers. She gasped.

"I know, it doesn't look like it houses some of the world's most powerful _murderers_ does it?" Draco said coldly and walked past her to the left gate knocking loudly. As he passed, Blaise came to stand next to her and slipped something in her hand. She looked at him but the expression on his face told her not to look down and just take it. She held it as he squeezed it in her hand and then let her hand go.

"You really shouldn't have judged him like that," he whispered. "It'll take a while for him to get over that. After all, he is the one supposed to kill you."

"I know that," she said sharply as the gate began to open.

"Really?" he said to her and waited until she faced him. "Then have you considered perhaps why he _hasn't _done it yet?" Her face changed completely and he smiled. "In all my time of knowing him, he has not blinked one eye at killing anyone. He's done in most of the people he would have considered family. Hell, he's killed some of them too," he said with a tilted head. "For some strange reason he seems physically and – well, incapable of doing it to you. Instead, he seems to be saving your life every time you are threatened. Perhaps you should be thanking him instead of condemning him to Hades." He gestured for her to walk forward and followed her to a door that Draco had stopped at. There was a hole where the key was supposed to go, at the right just above his head, but he put his wand in there instead.

"State your code," said a voice from behind the door.

"A36-58," he said waiting for the door to open. When it did he took away his wand and walked inside.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked Blaise quietly.

"Later, do not talk from now on," Blaise said sternly. "Follow our lead and do not disclose your name. If he does anything to you, you do not talk just look as clueless as you do now." Ginny's frown increased. "It will help more than you think." She continued with her confused face to his cryptic explanations and stood next to Draco as he knocked on another door.

"Enter." Blaise stepped in front and walked in facing his old teacher. "Ah, A29-85, how have you been?"

"Pleasant Sir, however, I have a few questions to ask you."

"Is this anything to do with your empath power?"

"Yes, actually it is. I'm having problems."

Draco smiled, problems was an understatement. Blaise had all of a sudden grown a bottomless pit in his stomach. If that was anything to go by, 'problems' was a mediocre word to describe it.

The man looked over to him. "And A36-58, it's only proper that you would _both_ be in this office at the _same time_. Tell me, why do you _grace_ me with your presence also?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Just the company, Sir, just the company." The man smiled, as he eyed Ginny he raised an eyebrow and then ran them down to her hand. He noticed the ring on her finger.

"And who is this delightful creature?" he said surveying the ring with a valid curiosity.

Blaise followed his eyes and saw the ring. _Shit,_ he thought. "Wife, Sir," he said quickly with sudden inspiration.

The man surveyed both of them. "Of whom?" he said questioningly.

"His," he said gesturing to Draco. Draco straightened at this sudden change of plan. He made sure to think up Blaise's punishment in his head hard enough to create some sort of feeling. He smiled when he saw Blaise wince a little. Blaise glared at him and Draco quirked an eyebrow feigning his innocence.

"So, you actually got settled did you?" the Professor said with mirth. "I would _never_ have imagined that."

"Believe me Sir, neither did I. It's hard sometimes but I manage." Draco squeezed Ginny's hand.

"And of your Profession, she knows?"

"Not until now, sir."

The Professor surveyed Ginny's confused expression and put two and two together. "Obliviate?" he said suggestively.

"Yes, Sir." Draco's face showed nothing.

The man seemed to accept it and nodded. "So," he said rounding off. "29-85, you will want to see Raymond I presume?"

"Yes, if I can," Blaise said. "She has helped me in the past. I think I will benefit."

"Very well, she's in a class right now but I'm sure she will be able to see you if you ask. They are in exams right now so she might be able to sneak out." He showed them the door. "Luck in your journey, and 36-58?"

Draco turned from the step. "Yes sir?"

"No deja que ella vaya." He smiled at him.

Draco looked at him as if the professor had never done that to him before. "Yes Sir," he said returning the gesture.

"Come on let's go. Sir," Blaise said bowing his head and walked off. Draco followed after him and pulled Ginny with him.

"What did he say?" Ginny said as she fell into step with them.

Draco put his finger to his mouth and continued walking. Somehow, she knew that meant later.

They walked through a dirt path until they reached a large camp, full of tents and various cages of all sizes. Inside of them housed different animals no doubt captured for 'training purposes." As they walked, Ginny looked around at the people working around her, some were laughing and enjoying the sun and some were studying in books or sparring in a court that stood nearby. She noticed the shirts they were wearing, it was a t-shirt and all of them were the same colour with an emblem and a motto written along the bottom.

"**NUMQUAM SINE CANES TE DEGRAVERE_."_**

'_There's a uniform?'_ she thought to herself. It would have resembled any other school if she didn't know any better.

"Wait here," Blaise said as he walked into the large tent in front of them.

They stood waiting for him for what seemed like ages. Ginny looked around and saw a large notice board littered with different coloured papers. She scanned them and saw a timetable for the two years. They looked bizarrely like any normal school's syllabus except for the things that were taught.

** **

**S****chool**** of Defense**** and Assassination for Witches and Wizards **

**Year one**

Learning of rules

Languages

Memory skills and Scheduling

Spanish

Fundamental and useful potions used in everyday tasks

English (foreign students only)

Theory in basic techniques of self defense

French

Spells and incantations for detainment and damage, theory and practical

Common environments, connections + security issues

Practical tasks of self defense

**EXAMINATIONS **

**Year two **

**_Empaths _Year two**

Charming muggle weaponry 101

Components of the empathetic mind, constructs, theories and modes of use.

Handling of Situations. Choosing options for information extraction.

Components of the muggle mind, constructs and theories. Modes of use, structure and manipulation.

Beginning of training for timed practical exams

**_Structural management of the mind _**

Languages continued.

Basic potions and elixirs for management Reading emotional behaviour Application of knowledge to average muggle mind 

Techniques of mark tracking

Beginning of training for practical exams

**Basic functions of muggle weaponry theory **

**Definition, Investigation and Analysis**

**Functions of Muggle Weaponry, practical Representation, Structure and Management**

**Basic functions of **

**muggle weaponry theory Definition, Investigation and Analysis **

**Functions of Muggle Weaponry, practical **

**Representation, Structure and Management **

Use of basic charms on useful weaponry

Use of weapons in weather conditions.

Development, testing and Implementation

Fundamental charms for all weaponry

Use of muggle weapons in weather conditions.

Development, testing and Implementation

Further spells and incantations for detainment

High level spells and incantations for detainment and damage, practical only

Techniques of mark tracking

Using empathetic methods of tracking marks

Practical tasks of attack

Practical tasks of attack

Interactive potions, creation and testing on living mammals

Interactive potions, creation and testing on living mammals

**Year three, EXAMINATIONS**

She gaped at what was being taught in this place and looked around at the "students" walking around. She noted the anxiety on the older ones' faces and smiled, they looked exactly like most of the students at Hogwarts when NEWTs came along.

She continued to peer at the board, now with more of a respect than just curiosity. She wondered how they could take such an unspeakable subject and create a learning institution and succeed on it. It struck her dumb, not that she was allowed to say anything anyway.

She peered at the examination charts, occasionally glancing at the people walking around with text books and a selection of weaponry and the occasional wand. She caught site of the Year three section filled with examinations for both empathetic and non empathetic students

** **

**Examinations Year three **

Application of memory to schedules and timed practicals for 'Crossing out.'

Examination on display of basic charms for given devices

Timed examinations, applied uses of potions

Examinations of Self defense using all devices provided

Active use of Weaponry using given marks

Timed examinations, practical tasks of search and detain

Marks also for application of spells and incantations for detainment and damage (marks per damagical wounds/ un-damagical wounds) 

Extended Examinations of muggle weaponry in changing weather conditions

Surveyed examinations for applied use of no magic for three weeks in given destination of chosen language.

**Examinations _Empathetic Year_ **

Application of memory to schedules and timed practicals for 'Crossing out.'

Examination on display of basic charms for given devices

Timed examinations, applied uses of potions

Timed examinations, applied use of elixirs to given empaths with anxiety

Timed examinations, applied use of abilities for reading emotional behaviour in practical tasks of search and detain

Marks also for application of high level spells and incantations for detainment and damage (extra marks for damage) 

Examinations of Self defense using all devices provided

Active use of Weaponry using given marks

Extended Examinations of muggle weaponry in changing weather conditions

Surveyed examinations for applied use of no magic for three weeks in given destination of chosen language

"Enjoying yourself?" she heard from her side.

She glanced at Malfoy and grimaced a little. "You actually did these things?" she said pointing to the exam timetable.

He shrugged. "Had to, it's part of the syllabus. Though, when I was here, everyone had to learn the advanced spells for detainment and damage. I still haven't got a clue what damagical wounds are, I just bruised my mark up as much as possible before dragging it in. Got full marks, plus extras." He smiled gleefully.

"That's… nice," she tried.

He rolled his eyes. She was suddenly trying to be nice and he had a feeling it was Blaise who had initiated it. "Yeah, I wish we could stay for the empaths examinations though, it used to be held separately for everyone to see. It was fantastic. You see here," he said moving to the syllabus, "the advanced spells for us is different to theirs. Empaths have a natural ability to channel magic of grand proportions. You saw an example of this in the park this morning."

Ginny thought back and her eyes widened. "You learn that here?"

"No not the NEBs." Ginny frowned.

He sighed. "Non-Empathetic Beings." She nodded in understanding. "It's like going to a Quidditch match, except that it's held on the whole island instead of just a small pitch, they don't fly and they aren't chasing a snitch."

"What are they chasing?" A rummaging of cages and angry voices sounded behind them.

Draco pointed to the various sizes of magical animals behind her. "Those. The first years have the larger animals like the baby Graphorns, don't want them killed now do we? Erm, the second years have a range of smaller animals to choose from. Third years though. After all that training, they get the smaller ones with abilities of their own. Some of them can change into other things, some can disappear completely. It's up to the empaths to track them down by… what was it?" He moved to look at the exam timetable. "Oh, here it is, 'Applied use of abilities for reading emotional behaviour in practical tasks of search and detain.' I see Blaise didn't have to worry about the whole 'demagical' wounds thing, he just got marks for damage," he added more to himself. Ginny's face was indescribable.

Suddenly a woman came rushing out of the tent, passing them straight, looking in all directions. Draco saw her and cleared his throat smiling. She spun around and gasped happily.

"Malfoy! Long time no see," she hugged him tightly. "The other girls from the camp wondered whether you had gotten on."

Blaise stepped outside and smirked. "He certainly did."

Draco looked at him but Blaise just continued smirking. "I know!" she said wildly. "I heard, congratulations, is this her?"

"Yep," Blaise said almost to the point of laughter. He bit his lip to contain himself.

"Oh she's gorgeous! What's her name?"

"Ginevra," Blaise answered for him. Ginny suddenly felt like a new dog that they had bought.

"Oh," she said. There was a silence that followed that. It was long and uncomfortable. "Does she speak?" she smiled.

"Not right now." Blaise sensed Ginny's current frustration and thought it best to end the conversation there. "She just found out, you know." He nodded for her to drop the subject.

"Oh," she said slowly understanding. "It's hard isn't it? Don't worry though I'm sure he'll obliviate you when you leave so it won't be too hard," she said bluntly. After a moment of awkward silence and Ginny glaring at her, she turned to Blaise. "Are you alright now? I know it's difficult but just concentrate on the life you've built and everything will be fine. You're drifting from your path, if you can get back onto it you can keep up your barriers and you'll be fine."

"Thanks Ray," he said thankfully.

"That's alright. And you!" She turned on Draco. "You need to keep in touch more. I know you can't owl but we have those faxing things, so don't be a stranger!" She punched him on the arm then gave him another hug.

"Alright, Damn. That still hurts woman!" He rubbed his arm.

Her eyes went dark momentarily and glazed over, Ginny wondered if there was something wrong with her. "Hold on." She turned back to the tent she had exited. "G45, keep your eyes on your own paper!" she said without looking inside and turned back. "Oh, don't be such a girl and let it bleed," she laughed. "I have to go, I have an exam on now and it's for the empaths, they're driving me crazy with their anxiety. I think I need some of that elixir myself."

Blaise smiled at her. "Just focus on your path Jules- ow!" he said as she punched him hard.

"Don't piss me off Zabini, I can still take you." She pointed to him in warning. Then turned and looked toward the tent "Damn kids think they can cheat, they never learn." She shook her head.

"Still take me? Miss Julia Raymond, you never did," he said with an arrogant nod.

She feigned shock. "The cheek," she said placing her hands on her hips. "Alright, check me in a few days after the exams and I'll give you what for," she laughed.

Suddenly alarms went off in the camp. Every member of the camp ran outside of their tents looking around.

"What's going on?" Draco asked joining them in their search.

Julia Raymond looked around to the camp's head office. "I don't know, but I think I know someone who does." She walked straight to the professor's door, the only person who hadn't walked outside with everyone else, and opened it. "Sir, what's going on?" she asked quickly. She knew he didn't take anything but straight questions and answers.

He handed her the fax he had just received. "There is a mark on the island."

"What?" she said taking it. "Who's G. Thomas?"

"I don't know, frankly I don't care. If they are here, they are dead. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Sir," she said.

"Take the empaths with you. It'll be a good training exercise for them. An island of assassins must be a tad upsetting for our mark. Bring the body back here in thirty minutes."

"That long sir?" she smiled.

"You may be good, A57-58 but even this island takes a long time to trace."

"Not if we have two of the best." She looked out of the shutters of the office to see Blaise and Draco talking amongst themselves.

He quirked an eyebrow. "In that case," he said with a sly smile, "make it fifteen."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Eight

Breaking All the Rules

**Cutting it Close**

"Here," Blaise said as he slipped something small in Draco's hand.

He took it and looked at it. "You think my mind needs clearing Zabini?" he said as he shrank it and shoved it in his ear.

"Well, Ginevra has one. It's in her hand." He paused for Draco to look at her, walked to Julia and began talking to her quietly.

Draco got his meaning and made his way to Ginny who had taken to just sitting on a rock and not talking to anyone. "So, you finally get to see the _murderers_ in action huh? Does it feel good, seeing as you're the one they're searching for?" he said coldly as he rested himself next to her.

She closed her eyes and sighed. That was not what she wanted to hear right now. "Thank you," she said sarcastically.

"Welcome," he said reaching for her hand. Instinctively she pulled it away. "Don't worry I'm not going to hold it again if I can help it." He reached for it again and took out the mind clearer from her hand. He shrank it with his wand and then replaced it in her ear. "I always put mine here. This way if I'm walking, I don't have to worry about dropping it. See, perfect fit." She felt him remove his hand from her ear after slipping it into the cove and bringing her hair to fall in front to hide it. It was such a kind gesture, she wasn't sure if she should thank him or not.

"No need to thank the _murderer_. I did it for me, this way I don't have to worry about saving your arse again anytime soon." He got up callously and walked over to Blaise and Raymond.

"Giving your wife some encouraging thoughts?" Blaise asked with a raised eyebrow. Raymond smiled at him.

"Yes, nothing but," he said with a fake smile.

----

The thick forest buzzed everywhere they turned. Draco and Blaise walked with Raymond and Ginny in a group to make the chance of seeing an intruder easy. The two camps, male and female, had split into two. It was named by the head as a training program for their examinations. All the G years had gone with a teacher of their own as they were only in their first year. The E and F groups had split by themselves to see what they could do.

Blaise treaded carefully on the dank leafy carpet of the forest. They had all been silent for all of about three minutes but to those in danger it probably seemed like forever. He had to break the silence or he was going to go crazy. "So, are we getting graded on this?" he joked.

Julia rolled her eyes. "Sure, Zabini, it can be an extra curricular activity on your part. Credits given for timing and use of technical spells."

"Yeah, and extra marks for damagical wounds," Draco added. They all laughed but began shushing each other immediately to keep quiet. They still couldn't keep the silence though, as small sporadic snorts followed shortly after at the thought of it.

Then, Blaise's interest peaked. "What does 'damagical' mean anyway?" he asked.

Draco shook his head and laughed quietly. "I haven't got a clue, mate."

Julia turned around. "It's the damage made by magic during a detainment and damage session, points are awarded to each wound due to the area located."

"Really? No wonder I got so many marks for it, I think that's how I passed it in the first place." They continued walking. "I wounded my mark all over, especially in all the 'hard to reach places.'"

"Eew, I didn't need to hear that."

"Oh, as if you should talk." Blaise made a defensive noise but before he could speak, Julia chimed in.

"Yeah, Mr. 'Watch-me-and-all-my-complicated-incantations-including-a-restricted-spell-that-is-only-used-by-experienced-assassins. You put the rest of us to shame."

"I did not!"

"You used the 'Zabini 'Blade of light' specialty,' we were all in shock when you did that. No-one has tracked anything so fast in the empathetic classes. No-one, Blaise, and believe me, they have all tried. Six minutes is hard to beat. You were powerful then, I can only imagine how good you are now after four years in the field. I don't know how you do it, after my first mark… I just couldn't."

Ginny looked at him. _He's like a lethal Hermione._ She laughed at this and ignored the sudden strange looks coming her way. Just then, something fell from the trees above.

"Well hey, at least I wasn't Malfoy. His first mark was-."

Ginny jumped and screamed, swiping at her face to get whatever it was off. Her hair flew in all directions around her and her face turned a bright pink as she twisted and turned to each swipe at her face. She slapped and kicked out her legs in every which direction, the fear evident. She continued this ritual over the rest of her body swiping and screaming continually and the others turned to look at her. After a while of being dumbstruck at this mental display and them holding in laughter, Draco took hold of her shoulders.

"Ginny, Ginny! It's alright, it was just a leaf."

He tried so hard not to smile, really he did.

"Wait," Julia turned around as her eyes glazed over again. "I can sense him, he's scared."

"Him?" Blaise said wondering and tuned in. It wasn't a man. He instantly turned to Ginny, looked at Draco and frowned. Draco looked into Ginny's ear. It was gone.

"You think it could be a woman? I don't know, I can't sense that far. I get the anxiety though. Oh, they're really terrified of getting caught." She smiled wickedly and Ginny got the sense that she liked the hunt as much as the kill.

Draco turned to her and looked at her in the eye. "Don't – talk," he mouthed and she nodded as he crouched down to find the mind clearer on the ground. Raymond turned to see him on the floor. "Did you drop something?" She walked over to them and looked down to him.

"Erm, yeah, she dropped an earring."

Raymond tutted and crouched down. "You see, this is exactly why I don't wear those things." She looked up at Ginny and the smile on her face cleared slowly. "Malfoy, how many did she lose?" she said with a frown.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she said standing up, "either she dropped both of them -." She dragged Draco up to stand beside her and grabbed hold of his ear pulling out the clearer. "-or she wasn't wearing any to begin with." She looked at both men and held up the mind clearer for them to see it. "Care to explain this?" She was looking at Blaise mostly, he was the only one who would know to use it at a time like this. "You brought a mark on the island-." She lowered her voice a fraction. "Are you crazy!" she hissed.

"Ray, let me explain." Blaise tried to calm her down. With both of them stripped of the only protection they had, every team was probably on their way.

"Save it, Zabini," she stated and stood back from all of them. "I am very disappointed in you. I thought I knew you and now you go and do this."

"Please, Raymond, we can't kill her."

"Why?" she said.

There was silence. Then there were rhythmic footsteps coming in their direction. Ginny backed up to a tree; she did not want to be anywhere near any of them.

"No answer?" She scoffed. "Stand aside." She held her wand in front of her to Ginny. Her mouth parted to speak.

Draco stepped in front of her. "I can't let you do that, Julia."

She glared at him. "Stand aside, Draco, I _will _go through you if I have to."

Blaise stepped in front of Draco. "You'll have to go through me first," he said looking in her eyes.

"Step aside, Blaise."

"No," he stated.

Her hand began to quiver. "Stand aside, Zabini!"

"No," he repeated.

"Agent 29-85, stand down. I_ will_ shoot through you." Her voice was laced with danger and her aim was straight for his heart.

He stepped toward her and pressed the wand against him. "Go ahead. I will not let you shoot her." He raised his wand, as did Draco from behind him. "It won't be the first time you've hit me there."

They stood that way for a while and Julia kept her aim to Blaise's heart. Their gaze stayed constant, glares mixed with something else. Suddenly, her hand dropped.

"Go, before they come," she said quietly.

He sighed. "Thank you." Suddenly he got the feeling that they weren't alone. And feelings like these were often accompanied by physically not being alone. He began to search through the leaves with everything he had to sense the direction it was coming from.

She gave a weak smile and dropped her eyes. "You owe me for this. If I was caught-." A bright flash came at them and Blaise dragged her to the ground before she was hit.

"Get her down!" Blaise yelled to Draco. Constant flashes came at them and hit the trees. They barely dodged the hexes that were aimed at the ground around them.

"We have to get to the place we arrived," Blaise said.

"The gate, are you crazy? Do you know how guarded that would be?" Draco started.

"Go, I can shield you." Raymond got up and began to run. They all rose quickly and followed her. Just then, someone emerged nearby and Ginny caught their eye as more came out of the nearby trees. She stopped and looked at them as they all fired at once. Just as they were about to hit her she was hit from the side and sent to the ground.

"Oh, bloody hell," she heard above her as Draco stood up gingerly. "Come on, hurry up." He pulled her up and they continued to run. Surprisingly there were less people nearer the gate because they had all heard the commotion and gone running into the forest.

They stood in a circle. Blaise looked to Julia. "Are you coming? If you stay, they'll kill you."

She sighed at looked around. "I have nothing left to stay for do I?" she smiled and joined them as they each touched the port key.

Landing was not as bad as they thought it would be. There was less darkness from trees and the room they landed in was much more glamorous than the forest they had evacuated.

"Well, that was exciting wasn't it?" Blaise said into the calm of the house.

"You can say that again." They all sighed and stood back from each other.

Just then, Draco dropped to the ground.

"What the hell, he was hit!" Blaise cried as he knelt next to him. Ginny's eyes widened at his crumpled form on the ground. Julia kneeled to join him and felt for a pulse. It was beating so abnormally fast that it didn't even feel like it was there.

The shirt Draco was wearing was covered in blood.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry about the dreadful cliff hanger there... I hope you all got to the properly placed version of the sylabus on the island and that it was as cool as I thoguht it to be when I first got it from that group that call themselves my fans. erm... well that's all I wanted to check on really. Enjoy!

Chapter nine

Breaking All the Rules

**Saying Thank You**

Draco's eyes opened blearily and it took a while for his focus to set. There was a lot of light in the room which didn't help his case. His head was throbbing and his side was aching. He looked from side to side to see where he was. After arriving at the gate on the island everything after that was foggy, like it was now. He tried to get up but as he did a sharp pain tore through him and he groaned loudly. But the noise he made coursed through to his head and it banged even more. It resulted in him just falling back onto the pillow.

"Stop moving then," he heard. His eyes opened again and looked around. Ginny was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Her eyes were full of sleep and her hair was disarranged. It looked as if she had slept in the chair.

"What are you doing here?" he asked before mentally swearing at himself for making so much noise.

She didn't look as if she had an answer. "I'm making sure you're alright."

"Why, to check on whether the murderer can still track you down? Well congratulations, you have a few more weeks to live." He covered his eyes to block out the light.

Ginny got up and walked to the door. He thought that perhaps he had caused her to leave but she returned with a cup in her hand. "Blaise said to drink this when you woke up."

He looked at her and then at the cup questioningly. "So I wake up and immediately you want to poison me?"

"I didn't make it, if that's what you mean. Julia did. I drank one as well, Blaise said it would help my headache."

"Julia?" he asked momentarily perplexed.

"Yes, she came with us if you can remember," she said sharply.

He looked at her incredulously. _The impertinence. _"Not really, the events are quite groggy after I was hit _seven_ times in the ribs. You know, that does tend to _alter the memory pattern_ a bit wouldn't you think?"

Ginny huffed loudly and slammed the cup down on the bedside table. "Look, you saved my life, thank you. I called you a murderer, I'm sorry. I bit you, I caused you to get hit and almost killed, I'm sorry. Alright, I'm sorry, but I am not being subjected to this torture of what I have said to you just because you - can't - let it - go!" she yelled but stopped instantly when his eyes shut even tighter and realised the reason she had to give him the cup. She stood in silence.

After a moments silence she looked at his still form and wondered if she had rendered him unconscious. "I take it from the fact you are no longer _echoing_ in my brain that you are thoroughly done?" he asked softly.

She stood back a little and said, "Yes."

"Good, what's in the cup?"

She looked at the cup she had slammed down and picked it up again. "It's for the head ache."

He looked at her and then at the cup. Instantly he stretched out his hand for it. It was times like this he loved having Blaise as a friend, empaths were the essential remedy. They knew not only how you felt but how you were going to feel and therefore are able to brew any pain relieving potion in your time of need. He drained it and felt the tension in his skull relieve instantly as he relaxed into the bed sighing.

She sat back onto the chair and watched him as he gingerly sat up, despite the pain. Even she winced when he groaned loudly to the room.

"I am sorry, you know, but I didn't ask for this," she said quietly.

"Oh, and you think I did?" he said irritated holding his stomach. Something inside was burning. Ginny looked at him, she had done that too. It must just be an effect of the potion.

She looked to the floor. "It's not your spouse that wants to kill you is it? If I had known that after he had vowed to honour and keep me that he would dishonour and kill me I would have said 'I don't' instead." She dropped into the chair again and sighed on impact.

He laughed a little and winced at the pain again. "Stop making me laugh, you're killing me. Literally." She smiled. "Besides, be thankful. At least he didn't do it himself. I, at least, always make it painless."

She looked incredulous. "Really?"

"Yep, it's my policy."

"So how come I'm not painlessly dead yet then?" she asked.

He fell silent and awkwardness followed it with a vengeance. They both looked away from each other but Ginny's interest peaked when he wouldn't answer.

"Well?"

He turned to her. "Well what?"

"Why do you keep saving me? Blaise-."

"Blaise talked to you?"

"Well, yeah on the island."

He chuckled and turned to the bedside table. "Could you pass me my wand please?"

"Wh – what are you going to do?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to give you what you're asking for." Her look made him laugh even harder. "I'm just joking, I want to get rid of this damn annoying pain in my side. Please, I won't touch you I promise." He put his hand on his heart and smiled.

She reached for his wand and held it out to him. "You shouldn't make jokes like that to someone you are contracted to kill."

"I'm not contracted to kill you, it doesn't work that way," he said taking it from her.

"Then, why do you assassinate people?" She said as he muttered a spell under his breath.

"I already told you, because I'm instructed to. Haven't you seen our motto? "**Numquam Sine Canes Te Degraver"** We live by it, 'Never let the bastards hold you down.' We aren't owned." He stood up to test the spell he had cast and stretched.

"So… It's voluntary?" she said watching him.

"You could say that. It's an agreement. I kill who you want me to and you pay me, we never talk about it, it never goes public. If something goes wrong, I don't know you, you don't know me."

"Crime doesn't pay, Malfoy."

"I think it does," he shrugged. "The hours are good. Oh - you travel _a lot_."

She shook her head not believing what she was hearing. "And people actually follow this?"

He nodded. "You'd be surprised."

"Like who?"

"For legal and other such reasons I am not inclined to answer that."

She looked a little put out. "Why not?"

"Because, my dear girl, I don't want to." He threw on a shirt and walked outside. "Where's Blaise?" he asked.

"He went out with Julia hours ago. I haven't seen them since."

He turned and came back inside. He saw the other empty cup on the table his had come from and once again noted her disheveled appearance. "How long have you been in here?" he asked.

She shifted on the seat. "Not long," she said uncomfortable with the change in subject. He eyed her curiously not breaking contact. She blushed and looked to the floor. "Stop staring at me like that."

He raised an eyebrow. "You've been in here since they left haven't you?" he said knowingly.

She frowned. "No."

He smiled at her defensive answer. "You have haven't you?" he smiled. "Why?" he narrowed his eyes. "And, before you speak, remember I am trained to know if you're lying."

She opened her mouth a series of times to answer and this only made him smile more. She gave up and huffed before getting up to storm out of the room. She didn't get very far though as he grabbed her arm and spun her around pulling her to him.

"Why?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and something stirred. She tried to pull away weakly as if she didn't really want him to let go. Her eyes closed as he kissed her, it was dizzying and she clung to him not daring to let go. She pressed closer to him as his hands ran down her back and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Her mouth opened instinctively to him as he deepened the kiss. He could feel her body melting against him as her arms tightened around his neck. He resumed placing his hands and lips on her body, eliciting a soft moan from her, which only encouraged him to continue. She held on to his body feeling every movement he made with her and felt his hot breath on her neck. Finally, she just let go.

---

Ginny jumped up into a sitting position when she awoke. It took a few moments for her brain and eyesight to catch up, but when it did she gasped and looked around. Lying next to her was Draco asleep. _Oh God._

_Oh god, Oh god, Oh god, Oh god. What have I done?_

She jumped out of the bed taking the top sheet with her. "Oh, okay wake up, wake up, wake up right now!"

Draco didn't move.

She looked around in blind panic for something – anything to wake him up with as she couldn't – didn't want to touch him right now. She had done way too much of that already.

Her hands found the cup he had drank out of a few hours ago and instinctively she threw it at the bed.

"Bloody hell!" he held the bridge of his nose and opened his eyes. As they fell on her, a glare was all he could manage. "What the hell did you do that for?" he wailed.

"What did we do?" she asked hoping what she remembered was all just a hallucination.

"What?"

"What – did – we – do?" she stated again.

He looked at the bed and the state it was in. "Um," he said slowly. "I don't really remember, but I think we-." His sight then found the cup that she had so expertly thrown at him. He quirked his head to the side. _Blaise_, he thought in anger.

"Oh no, no don't – don't say that. We couldn't have done that. I would never do that. I'm married, Merlin's hell!" She took her head in her hands and fell to the ground.

"Bastard," she heard. She raised her head and looked at him. He had begun to dress. "You said he gave you one of these to drink too?" He held the cup in his hand.

"Yeah… Where are you going?" she said as he made his way past her. "We need to sort this out."

"Oh I'll sort him out, don't worry." He opened the door and stormed outside. "Blaise!" he yelled.

She followed him out and stayed by the door with the sheet as her only protection. _Him? What is he on about?_ She quickly went back in the find her clothes – well, his clothes actually, and put them on before running after him.

---

"Well, do you think we can go back inside now?" Julia said as she got up off the grass. They walked up the driveway to the house.

"I suppose, but if they're arguing again I'm coming right back out."

"I shouldn't think so, we gave them two full doses. They should still be asleep." Blaise opened the door and walked inside becoming weary of what he might sense. He lowered his barriers ever so slightly before raising them again. "Oh my god," he said slowly.

She stepped inside and immediately felt it too. "Whoa, how intense is that?" she said raising her hands as if there was an object right in front of her. "How long have they felt this way?"

"Since school I think," Blaise said before his gaze snapped to the stairs. There was nothing there but he was well aware that someone was going to be storming toward them.

"Blaise!" he heard as he felt the anger rushing through the lust in house. Instantly, Draco appeared at the stairs and started running down them. He knew what Draco was angry at, so did Julia as she began to tense at Draco's mood.

"Oh shit," he smiled and glanced at her. "Run." He grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards the door.

"Blaise, get back here. I want a word." He began to run faster taking the stairs in twos

"Not right now Malfoy," he laughed as he and Julia ran through the door.

"Zabini!" Draco ran after them as they went down the stairs. Julia broke away and ran down the driveway to the front garden they had just come from.

"Where are you going?" he laughed.

"I want no part of this!" she said laughing.

"Well, considering you made it." She laughed even more as he grabbed her arm and pulled her back on the path they were running on.

"You don't think that we owe it to them to give ourselves up? I mean, you'll have to go back sooner or later, it's your house," she panted as they gained more speed. Draco was a lot faster than they thought.

"Not really," he said looking back as Draco called his name once again. "I have others." He stopped in his tracks as he looked back in front of him and grabbed the back of Julia's top to pull her back. A few metres ahead, Draco had apparated in front of them with a smirk on his face.

They made to run in the other direction but he was there too when they turned around. There was nowhere to run.

Draco's anger seared through him and both empaths winced as he walked closer. "Oh, yeah he's really angry at me right now."

"Use it as a goal. If you can fight this you can fight anything," she whispered to her side. They both smiled.

"Well this was quite the headache potion, Zabini. I simply can't understand how you figured out that it was just what I needed." Still smirking, he twirled the handle around his fingers before throwing the cup to Blaise who caught it with ease.

"Well, I'm glad it worked out for you. At least it's not your head that throbbing anymore." Julia snorted at his comment and tried hard not to laugh. She pursed her lips together and turned away.

His gaze snapped to her. "No doubt you're brilliant potions skills had a hand in this too." She looked at him. "Just so you know, Ginny is practically in tears at committing adultery back there, I'm sure you'll want to apologize to her when you get back. Next time, maybe you should try to help more than us," he said motioning his hand between them, "and help others in the same situation." He turned and walked back to the house leaving the other two in silence.

They both looked at each other. "You know, normally people are much happier. I hope I'm never around when he has sex again," Julia inserted before they burst out into laughter once more. They didn't hear when Draco began to laugh too.

---

A/N Hope you liked this one, it's not as long as the others but there's nothing I can do about that seeing as it's awritten out already... REVIEW and they come up once a day!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Ten

Breaking All the Rules

**Rule Number five**

_**Calling in a Favour**_

Ginny waited at the front door as Draco went running after Blaise and Julia. She had no idea what was going on. She had watched them talking and braced herself when Draco began walking back to the house.

She stood her ground; she could be strong about this. She was sure she could. Perhaps.

He took the steps up the front of the house in twos. When he passed her, she was shocked that he wouldn't even look at her.

She turned to watch his retreating back again. "Um, Draco."

"Not now. I'm trying to spare you as much as I can." He walked up the main staircase. He wondered why Blaise always had to have steps in his house. There was that house in Borneo but that seemed to be the only one that didn't. It's not like he used them all the time. He apparated everywhere anyway.

"Sparing me? From what, exactly?" She was following him, he hadn't even noticed that. He turned right after consideration and took the stairs with more care than he had run down them a few minutes before. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to do that anytime soon. That is, if Blaise could help himself.

"From doing this, Ginny."

"Doing what?" she said exasperated.

"This!" he said angrily turning toward her. She jumped in shock at his sudden action. He moved his hand between them. "I don't know if you've noticed but we're not exactly supposed to be on good terms right now." He shook his head at her look with a sardonic smile and walked off. He looked absently at the photographs on the walls as he passed.

Ginny wasn't going to let this go. "I'm stronger than you think, you know. My husband-."

"I couldn't care less about your husband," he said still walking. That wasn't exactly true. He hated him actually, with every fiber of his being. "I do care about the fact that I have been hired to kill you but instead I'm saving your life at every chance. About a tenth of the Wizarding world is looking for me and that stunt in the park probably set them on our tracks more than I know. My own employer is looking for me to deliver your body in a coffin and even though he doesn't know where I am, he's going to find out if it kills him." He raked his hands through his hair and stared at the wall. The waving hands from the photograph distracted him and he smiled momentarily before setting them back on Ginny. "You may be strong, Ginny, but not all of us are able to balance such pressure. If I'm found, Blaise is found. If he's found, say good bye to your life because if he can't save you then I sure as hell can't-." He stopped and looked again at the photograph on the wall.

It was a picture of him and Blaise in front of the 'Guidelines' to being an assassin. He smiled as he recalled them.

An assassin looks out for only himself.

He is never considerate; being considerate will not get anyone killed.

He is always on time, timing is everything.

A mark is the key, they are the priority.

He had always wondered about that one. How could an assassin look out only for himself and yet put the mark first? He shook it off. It never did him any good to think about that rule. There had been a long debate about it in class when he had brought it up. The headmaster had not liked that.

Then, something happened upon him. Suddenly, grabbing the frame off the wall, he spun around and ran back down the corridor, down the steps and out into the courtyard he had just left Blaise and Julia.

----

"What is this all about, Malfoy?" Blaise said sitting down on a sofa.

Draco stopped in front of him. "Do you remember this picture?" he said holding the frame in front of him.

He took it and scanned the contents. When he was finished, he looked up at Malfoy with a strange look. "Of course I do," he said with a smile. "It was graduation." Draco nodded. Blaise raised an eyebrow. He dropped it on the table in front of him. "So now that you've tested my memory, what is this about?"

"What is that we're standing in front of?" he said pointing to the waving men in the photo.

Blaise frowned and leaned forward to stare at the photo. He narrowed his eyes to see it. "The ru- 'guidelines,'" he said using air quotes smiling.

"Exactly."

He frowned. "Exactly what? Where are you going with this, Draco?" he said showing his confusing well.

"What's rule – number – five?" Draco said knowingly.

Blaise thought for a moment going through them one by one.

_1. An assassin looks out for only himself._

_He is never considerate; blah blah blah… getting people killed._

_Something about time, timing is everything._

_A mark is the key to priorities or something like that._

_**A mark is only disregarded under the circumstance of failure to complete payment by loss of client.**_

The frown smoothed on Blaise's face. "Right then, so how are we going to do it?" he said rubbing his hands together.

Draco began to pace the living room. "Well, he's a wanted man. I'm sure that there must be someone who wants him brought down."

"Maybe, but let's not get in over our heads. He's not exactly on the side of all things good right?"

"Well no, Zabini, but we're not exactly there either, are we?"

"Hush, Malfoy. What I'm saying is, which large _ministry_ is after all things bad?" he said with a smile. Draco smiled at his brilliance. "Well," Blaise said, "I think it's time to call in a favour, don't you, Draco?" He raised an eyebrow in his direction.

Draco's smile got even wider. "I've got just the person too." He got up and walked out of the room.

----

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Harry?"

"Yeah, go on. I'm sure you'll want your quality time anyway, Ron," he said in a whisper as Hermione came out of the bathroom and headed to the front door with a smile.

Ron winked at him as he shut the door. "Well, see you tomorrow then, mate."

"Bye Ron. See you tomorrow." He helped him finally close the door to signify he really didn't want to go. He didn't. All he wanted to do was curl up in front the television with an ice cold beer and a large bag of chips.

That's just what he did. At least it's what he had started to do when the fireplace seized up and turned green.

Harry groaned. _Not work, not now I just got home._ He dropped the chips on the kitchen counter and walked into the living room. He really hated it when he was on call; he never had a moment's peace. He went to stand in front of the fire place and waited for the face of his employer to appear. It never did. Instead, a scarlet letter flew out of the flames and landed in front of the hearth and slid a little way before it stopped at his feet.

He looked at it for a while wondering if it was going to blow up or something. Then the fire ceased and returned to a flickering yellow.

He bent down to pick up the envelope. Cautiously, he separated the overleaf from the glue and cracked open the seal. The parchment inside was a rich shade of red also and the golden writing inside lit up as fire against it.

_**You'll find out who I am soon,**_

_**I require a favour. You owe me, Potter.**_

_**Rip the page in half.**_

Harry stared at the words on the page wondering what the hell they meant. His frown increased and he turned it over to look at the back and then turned it over again. He blinked as the words changed before his eyes.

_**Turning the page over isn't going to help you find me, Potter.**_

**_I haven't got all night. I have someone here you're possibly_**

**_going to want to meet. You may be a tad surprised yourself_**

_**and want to run home to your beer and chips. Believe me**_

_**I don't even want you here but I haven't got much time and**_

_**I'm running out of options, Potter…**_

**_Now rip – the fucking – page – in half._**

Harry took the page in both hands and tore it down the middle. He shut his eyes as his room spun around him and he parted his legs to gain a means of balance. When the room stopped he opened them and fell back. He shook off the dizziness enough to realise he was seated in a chair.

"Damn things always have that effect, don't worry it'll go away," someone said behind him. He turned quickly at the voice, his hand on his pocket where his wand was. When his eyes caught up with his head, he focused them on a dark haired man walking away from his chair. "Welcome to my home, Potter. I trust you've been well all these years."

"Who are you?" he said suspiciously.

He shrugged. "Just a friend of a nemesis." He smiled and leaned against the wall he had walked toward. As he leaned back another man walked in to stand next to him.

Blaise turned to Draco. "Where is she?" he whispered.

"With Jules," Draco replied. "I'm not sure she can hold her for long though." Blaise smiled.

"You want me to-." He nudged his head toward the living room.

"No, stay here. I need your expert negotiating skills," he smiled and walked toward Harry.

"Who are you people?" he said again.

"Why Potter, you don't recognize me? I'm wounded. Honestly, some people keep up their pet hates after so many years. I guess I've not been on your brain huh?"

Harry narrowed his eyes at the man before him, pondering on who he could possibly be. The man before him smirked and crossed his arms like the other man behind him. At that instant, he knew who he was.

"Malfoy?" he said shocked.

"Got it in one, Potter. Now, I haven't much time so I'll just ask this straight. I need a favour, you owe me a favour. I want you to help me help someone else."

Harry shook his head sorting this all out. Malfoy had summoned him here, he was playing guess who and now he was demanding favors. "What? What the hell are you on about?"

Draco sighed heavily in annoyance. He had no time for this. "Potter, I don't think you get the urgency in my request of you. I am trying to help you, you know. Or at least friends of yours, that is, if you even remember her."

"Her? Who-."

"Will you slow down!" came a voice from the doors.

"No, I am going to speak to him!" came a reply. Both Draco and Harry turned toward the doors to see who was coming in.

Just then, another person with red hair came flashing into the room, storming through the open doors. Julia ran in after her but stopped when Blaise stuck out his arm. He warded her off and pulled her back to stay out of it. "Sometimes, you just need to watch them. This is their problem, not ours."

"But-." He placed a hand on her mouth.

"If they want help, they'll ask for it." She went to the other side of him and leaned on the wall. Both of them secured their barriers.

Harry looked at woman who had just stormed in. She in turn just stormed at Draco. "You need to stop avoiding me! We have things to sort out Malfoy," she said poking a finger in his chest.

"Her." Draco pointed to Ginny answering Harry's question. "Potter, meet the bane of my existence."

Ginny turned to him. _Potter?_ She looked at the messy black hair, the green eyes and the tell tale scar. "Harry?" she said slowly.

Harry frowned at her just staring. Suddenly his features smoothed. "Ginny?" he said in shock.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N Thanks for your reviews!

Chapter Eleven

Breaking All the Rules

**Using What You Have**

"Did you find out if she's gone?"

"No sir. The fourth batch of members has disappeared. We believe the last time they were seen was in the middle of a muggle park. We have no idea were they went though. When we arrived there were muggle authorities everywhere. We couldn't practice without them knowing."

"Let me get this straight. I have spent thousands on getting a decent assassin to kill the only witness of the only public display of 'crime,' I can count and you're telling me that none of them have succeeded?"

"No sir, we have records that one agency, erm-." He flipped through a large book he carried with him and ran his finger down a page. "- Leveret's unLTD, sir. They have set their best on your case and we have been ensured that she will be dead by the end of the week."

"End of the week? She was meant to be dead last month! How could this have happened?" He banged his fists on the table he sat at. "The only reason she's been alive this long is because I didn't kill her when I had the chance. Damn girl had a family and friends in the Ministry. Bloody Harry Potter and his damn sidekick Auror friends." He sighed heavily and brought his hands to his head. "Well, at least I took care of that. She doesn't know any of them anyway, not anymore. And just when I think she's forgotten everything, she begins to have 'daydreams.'" He looked at his secretary with a frown, suddenly thinking of something. "I thought you told me those were guaranteed to last for at least ten years?" he said.

"They were sir, but a large amount of activity can cause strenuous damage on them sir. They aren't one hundred percent up to scratch. They were off the shelf charms, not custom made."

"What activity, we haven't done _any_ activities since I 'Married,' her," he said signaling air quotes.

"In the past year-." He flipped through the book again to find the page and fingered down it. "-you had your wife plan your wedding with her, she was quite upset if you remember because she didn't know who this woman was. You then went on your honeymoon that was, all in all, uneventful but still stressful because of the malcontent for her. There has been a constant of stress for the nights you are not home and you went on a holiday a month ago sir, for about three weeks you spent touring the Caribbean islands. The remaining week was spent with your child, sir."

"Where is she by the way?"

"With your wife, sir. They are staying in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Your wife says that they are having a marvelous time."

"Very good. Now, what do we do with this other girl?"

"Well, she has gone missing and it's likely she's dead already."

He turned to him with a menacing look. "Where's the body?" he said narrowing his eyes.

The secretary trembled. "I – I don't know sir."

He raised an eyebrow and turned back to his desk. "Good, when you do know where it is, you can tell me it's likely she's dead."

----

"So you're just going to give me the location of Girard Thomas and expect me to kill him for you in exchange for your immunity? Immunity for what, what is it that you need immunity for?" Harry questioned.

Draco rolled his eyes. Honestly, the man couldn't just handle simple instructions could he? "Never you mind that, will you do it or not?" he said irritated.

"Well," Harry considered. "Catching him is one thing, killing is something else." He looked up at him from his seat. "Why _do_ you want him dead?"

Ginny swallowed hard. "So that she doesn't die." He pointed to Ginny.

Harry looked at her. "What does she have to do with this?" he frowned.

"Well, Potter, you're looking at Mrs. Girard Thomas." Harry's eyes opened wide.

"What!"

Ginny waved sheepishly. "Hey, Harry."

"You got married to him? Wait - you got married?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why, Ginny?" he breathed. "Have you any idea what this could do to your family, especially your mother?"

Ginny looked at him incredulous, though most of it was shock that he could say something like that. "My mother is dead, Harry." She looked solemn at that. Draco looked at her. He had wondered why she kept saying that.

Harry looked confused. "No she isn't," he said shaking his head.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at his comment. "Yes, she is. I'd prefer if you wouldn't joke about something like that."

"What? I'm not joking, Ginny. I ate breakfast by her this morning at the burrow. Pancakes, I don't forget pancakes."

"Wh – what?"

"I don't forget pa-."

"Not that, Harry. My mother died two years into the war. There is no Burrow, Harry." Draco continued to watch her carefully. She seemed to be convincing him more than herself. She really believed it.

Harry's forehead creased in concentration as he realised something. "Ginny," he said slowly. "Who told you this?" he questioned.

"You did," she stated clearly. His look increased and she watched him carefully. "You sent an owl to me and told me! I was surprised that you didn't try to track me through it to tell you the truth." She went quiet. "No one tried to reach me. I gave up on hope after three years. Moved from place to place and ended up in London. I got a job at a book store and when I was closing down one night I met-." She stopped suddenly losing her place. She shook her head to get rid of the dizziness.

After a long silence, Draco rested a hand on her shoulder. "Ginny? Are you alright?" She didn't answer. Draco turned to Blaise and nodded, Blaise mirrored his actions and walked toward them instantly dropping his barriers and tuning in to Ginny's thoughts.

Her head swam and she fell back. When she hit the floor, she didn't hear the usual thud she normally did when she would fall like this. Instead, she heard a door slamming shut and metal rapping softly from the burglarproofing she was dragging down from the top of the shop window.

----

Blaise stood in the cold of late Autumn. Ginny was standing before him wrapped tightly in a winter coat pulling down the burglarproof in front of the last of the shop's windows. The section's sheets clattered noisily as she dragged it down and secured it with a metal lock.

"_Damn it's cold," she said to herself. Blaise smiled as she wound her coat around herself and folded her arms after putting the latch on the large sheet of metal at the bottom and walked around the shop to put the garbage in a large bin. She lifted the lid of the can and was about to slam it down when she heard voices coming from over the fence. Curiosity got the better of her and it did for him and they both scrambled up onto the huge green dumpster behind the store to look over. Four men had a man up against a wall, he looked terrified._

_Blaise tried to focus on their faces. Apparently Ginny's memory was a little distorted as some of the men had perfect focus as the others were slightly faded._

"_Shut up and listen to me! If you don't deliver in the next week, Girard is not going to be very happy with you. Don't think he doesn't already know what you said to the Aurors. You have a second chance here, Thomas, don't screw it up. We both know that no witness protection is going to save you from him. He'll hit you so hard; your grandchildren's grandchildren will be pleading for mercy."_

_Girard? He looked at Ginny, she didn't seem to recognize the name. This must have been before she met him._

"_I didn't say anything I swear! We didn't know it was him!"_

_Another man walked out of the shadows. "We? Who's we?" he said from under the hood of his jacket. His back was turned to Ginny so she couldn't see him. Blaise knew who he was though._

"_Uncle! I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you."_

"_You just said, 'we.' Who is the 'we,' James?"_

"_Nobody," he laughed nervously._

_There was a long moment of silence. _

"_James Thomas, you are, so far, the longest lasting witness to a murder that I have ever had. The others being dead on site. For the sake of my dear sister, I took care of you. I left you, I let you live, I even almost forgave you and now you lie to me? Remind me why this man is not dead?" he asked turning to the others incredulously. As he turned, Blaise caught his face perfectly. He looked at Ginny again suddenly realising that Girard was about to see her._

"_Oh Ginny please duck."_

"_Can anyone here do that for me?" He spun around to them all twice before settling his eyes back on James. Ginny had to duck briefly so he wouldn't see her. Blaise sighed in relief._

_There were shaken heads all round._

_He raised his hand, two fingers extended from the fist. "Kill him." Thomas cried out as the men approached him. "No. No wands, I don't want this traced to me." They all pocketed their wands and looked around for various large objects. Some found large sticks, some found cut bottles and some had even brought their own weapons, knives and such. It was horrifying._

_One blow followed another after another and Ginny covered her ears to get rid of the sounds. Blaise even covered her ears, as if it would help any. She ducked down to block the sight from her eyes. As she did, the lid from the bin fell with many crashes off the dumpster to smaller bins at the side. _

"_Oh god," Blaise whispered jumping down to try to catch it. His hands went straight through it. "Ginny, I hope you ran."_

_She crouched there willing it to stop but it continued bouncing to the concrete ground. As it hit, it rolled and spun on itself getting louder until it finally stopped. _

_The dangerous silence that followed echoed through her, into the small alleyway she had encased herself in. If she moved she would make enough noise to indicate that she was there, if she stayed they would look over anyway and find her. She took her chances with moving._

_The scrimmage did indicate she was there, it was heard through the hurried voices and the sound of men jumping over the fence she had used as refuge and hitting the top of the dumpster with large clunks and thuds. She turned to see them and screamed as she rounded the corner to the main road. _

_Blaise watched a rather large man run quite faster than he thought was possible for a man his size. He caught up with her and was grasping forward for her coat but she kept getting away from him. Damn she was fast._

_As she passed the shop and passed through the streetlamp's light, something tugged at the hood of her coat. She screamed and kicked as a hand was placed over her mouth and another man, the same man who had ordered Thomas be killed. She bit hard on the hand at her mouth and it was taken off with a loud obscenity. As she was pushed forward a forehand came at her face and she fell to the ground. She paused at the ground and watched as droplets of blood splashed to the ground before she was picked up and hit again._

Blaise didn't need to see anymore, her angst was getting to him. He pulled out and opened his eyes.

"Shake her awake."

"What?"

"Do it now! She's getting beaten."

Draco took hold of her shoulders and shook her vigorously. It was a few moments before a glass of water was being thrown in Ginny's direction. Ginny's eyes opened and she gasped for breath as if she were drowning. Her arms went everywhere and she was screaming 'No,' at the top of her lungs with her eyes shut. Draco chanted her name softly and sat down on the ground next to her.

"Ginny, its okay, you're safe now," he repeated until she calmed down. She opened her eyes and saw it was him and clung to him tightly not daring to let go. She sobbed sporadically into his chest not caring who saw as he rocked her backwards and forwards.

He looked up at Harry, who was just watching this display with his nerves on edge. "You see, Potter, you see why we have to kill him now?"

---

A/N Yes Girard is quite the bastard, huh? Yeah… Well, review for me!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Twelve

Breaking All the Rules

**Letting Go**

Ginny walked along the corridor for the umpteenth time that day on her way to the kitchens for something to eat. Blaise's employees seemed to be on strike because she hadn't seen them since she got there. She continued walking, passing all the photographs on the walls. Countless faces she didn't know smiled and waved up at her, some were covered in mud and some were in their uniform on the island. Then she came to a space. The photo that hung there was the same one that Draco had taken and ran downstairs with hours ago. She had no idea why he had done it, but now there was a plan of some sort to get Girard off her back for good. They weren't telling her anything though.

She came to the stairs and begun to descend them, holding onto the banister so she wouldn't slip in the dark. She continued to wonder about Draco, he still hadn't told her why she wasn't 'painlessly dead,' right now and she was beginning to form her own theories. This morning had been quite different for her. She had woken up in an alleyway, been taken to his home and given clean clothes to wear. She had almost been killed, for the second time, and then found out that she was marked by her husband. Since then, she had been taken to an island of mur- assassins and almost been killed for the third time before reaching here and finding out that Draco had saved her, yet again, instead of doing his job.

Then they had shared quite an intimate moment before waking up with not much of a memory of it and with more shock than she could handle. Draco calling it all a big mistake was not helping things either. She shook that off and turned down yet another corridor into the kitchen.

It wasn't that much of a mistake, sure it was sudden and it wasn't their fault but, it wasn't totally Blaise's fault either. She had asked him for something to relieve her stress, he had probably just taken it the wrong way.

Though it did relieve a lot of tension.

She shrugged and peered into the fridge. Food of all sorts was piled on different shelves. She chose the middle shelf and investigated the contents of one white container. She opened it and found leftover chicken and placed it on the counter. She delved deeper to find a clear container of potatoes. She made an appreciative face and placed it on the counter next to the chicken. Getting a bowl out of a cupboard, she put the kettle on and went on a scavenger hunt for a cup and any place beverages in the form of tea bags might be kept.

Ten minutes later, she sighed into a hot meal and a steaming cup of tea. Pure bliss for an empty stomach.

"Having a nice time?"

She jumped and spun around to see Blaise walking in rubbing sleep out of his eyes. She sighed in relief. "You scared me."

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep." He peered at her bowl. "What you eating?"

"I found some chicken and potatoes in the fridge."

"Hmm. I do believe they were left over from George Waltman. Now he was a mark to be reckoned with. I had to get really creative with him." He checked in a cupboard for anything that didn't have to be cooked.

Ginny suddenly became quite wary of what he meant by 'left over from…' She put the spoon down.

He turned to her and laughed. "Don't let my job ruin your appetite. I don't think you've eaten all day."

She frowned. "You had to say that didn't you? I'll never look at chicken in the same way after this. It'll always be saying to me, "I came from Georgie! I came from Georgie!" she smiled picking up the spoon.

"It doesn't seem to bother you now."

She shrugged. "I guess I'm too hungry to care."

He pulled out a packet of cream crackers and searched for a jar of jam. Plunking himself down on a stool, he proceeded to scraping the jam on the crackers and eating them whole with a contented, "Hmmm," each time.

"How did you do it?"

He frowned. She could tell he wanted to say, "Do what?" but couldn't because his mouth was full.

"You said you had to get creative with him. I'm curious," she shrugged.

Blaise swallowed. "You really want to hear this?"

"Can't you tell already? You are an empath right?" He nodded. "Well, why do you have to ask?"

He smiled narrowing his eyes. "Fine, well Mr. Waltman was not exactly what you would call… a law abiding citizen, especially to the wizarding world. He was, as I recall from his schedule, a friend of the man I had to cross out today. They were in business together a few years ago." Ginny listened intently to the story as she spooned food into her mouth.

"Go on."

He smiled. "Well, he kept on getting away. Like Girard kept getting away from Draco. I didn't like it, not at all. In the end I knew that if I was going to get this man I wanted it to be memorable, you know, just to say I finally did it. He was a wizard in a muggle world so I used that against him. He had one of those." He pointed behind her. "A contraption to toast your bread in as opposed to the usual grill over a stove. His muggle girlfriend was a bit of a ditz, so I used that too. I'm very adaptable when it comes to those things. I notice everything."

"Why am I not surprised?" she smiled. "Well, how did you kill him? Get to the good part."

"I left the gas on and stuck a newspaper in the toaster. He walked in seconds later just before the house exploded."

Ginny's mouth hung open. He laughed. "I told you, you wouldn't want to hear it." He got up to retrieve another jar. This one had a brown substance in it.

"That's…that's…"

"Horrible, murderous, totally dis-"

"Ingenious."

He stopped. "What?"

"How would you have thought of that? How did you know?" The questions kept coming in that same flabbergasted way before she settled with an easy, "Wow." She dropped the spoon in the, now empty, bowl.

"I didn't think you'd have that reaction."

"I may have only been hanging out with you for a day but it feels like forever. I'm very adaptable." She smiled and took her bowl to the sink. "Plus that potion you gave me today really helped." He smiled as she watched him knowingly.

"I thought you were crying your eyes out over committing adultery. That's what Draco said anyway."

"What Draco_ saw_ was me in shock of doing something when I was still in the frame of mind that I was married. He's been avoiding me ever since thinking it best that way. After hearing the theme of what you said that you saw in my head, I don't think that way anymore. Unless you want to fill in the details." She watched him but he just shook his head. She shrugged, if it was that bad she wasn't sure she wanted to know anyway. "I want nothing to do with Girard. See," she said pointing to her finger, "the ring is no longer a part of me. Neither is Girard. Call me a changed woman." He watched her in silent admiration. "I better go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." She patted his shoulder and made for the door.

"Here, don't forget your drink." He handed her the near empty cup. She drained it and placed it to join the bowl. "And be careful walking past the living room," he added with sudden inspiration. The same inspiration he had had in the park earlier today. She turned at that and frowned.

"Why?"

"Draco's asleep in there." She nodded and turned to leave again leaving a smiling Blaise behind.

----

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there but it felt like a really long time. He had stirred a number of times, probably feeling her there, but he didn't wake up. She sat with her back against the coffee table reading what he and Harry had been writing down for hours after she went to bed finally. Tomorrow they were going to visit her family and begin to sort out this Girard mess. Perhaps they would finally let her know what was going on.

He stirred again and her eyes went over the page to him lying on the long sofa. '_If he's going to wake up why doesn't he just do it already?_' she thought to herself after being startled, again.

Her eyes went back to the page again. There was a story of some sort written here and she was trying so hard to figure out why it sounded so familiar. The title of it was, 'Girard's going to pay,' something she was sure was both Harry and Draco's doing. She smiled at it again and read through the words.

"James Thomas, who's he?" She read on to find that she was a witness to a brutal interrogation. Under this were the words, 'not proven James Thomas was killed.' Why did she know that name? Continuing down the page she found out that she was beaten badly before 'Blaise exited here.' _Blaise had told them this?_ She shook her head countless times trying to figure it out before shrugging it off and putting the pages back on the table behind her.

She knelt over Draco's sleeping form, surveying how he breathed silently and how his chest barely moved at all. He looked so peaceful when he slept, as if everything she had ever learnt about him today had never happened. But they had, and he seemed happy with it if anything. She wondered how such a big change could come over the boy she had met and begun to like in school.

She hadn't really talked to him that much, just a few short and forgettable encounters that didn't mean much. Apart from her brother's constant chattering and Harry's remarks she hadn't seen much of him at all. Until her sixth year when she had found him lying down by the lake. She didn't even know that was his hideaway too. She had had to sneak out, he was a prefect so it wasn't all that hard for him to leave after curfew. When she had first found him she had tried to sneak away. Sure he seemed asleep but she wasn't stupid, Malfoy or not he was a prefect and that meant loss of house points.

And she had lost them, quite a few in fact but after that and after he found out that she could run pretty fast for a girl, they got on pretty well. Very well actually. For the last three months of him being in the school they had talked a lot about everything and nothing in particular. It was mainly just the enjoyment of company. For him. For her, on the other hand, it was torture. This new friendship was great but that's all it was to him, a friendship. And she had wanted more from the second week onwards. He never got it though, and when the war begun just out of her seventh year, he was gone and she hadn't seen him since until yesterday night.

She swept a lock of hair from his face to tuck it behind his ear with a smile. She bit her lip, debating whether or not to kiss him. It's not as if he would know as he was asleep. As she brushed back his hair, a hand came to her wrist and held it tightly as a wand was secured at her throat.

'_What else could I expect?'_ she mused as his eyes opened to her.

Suddenly, the hard stare softened significantly and he sat up. "Ginny? What are you doing here, I could have killed you." He pocketed his wand.

"Well, at least your job would be done."

He sighed and wiped his face with his free hand. "Don't joke about that, Ginny, I'm serious."

"So am I, could I have my wrist back now?" She looked down at her hand.

He looked at his hand; it was still secured around her wrist. He let it go and watched as she rubbed the circulation back into it. "Sorry."

She winced at it. "No problem, quite the death grip you have."

He smiled. "What are you doing here?" he yawned.

"I was watching you sleep after I went through all the things on the table. I was curious at what they meant especially since they were talking about me. I especially love the title." She laughed and stood up to sit next to him. "I wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything really. I don't remember what happened but I remember waking up and feeling you next to me. Thank you for being there, and for this morning."

"Well you thanked me for that already." She raised an eyebrow at this remembering what had happened after she had said it. He caught on. "Not that. That was a momentary lapse of judgement. I'm talking about before." She nodded in understanding and just looked at him. If she looked at just the right angle, she could see the boy she once knew, the boy she had fallen in love with in school before he so unceremoniously disappeared.

He turned to her to see her looking at him strangely. "What?"

She smiled. "Nothing." She bit her lip, damn her indecisiveness.

"Nothing with you is ever nothing, Ginny, what is it?"

She shook her head again and kissed him. She captured and recaptured his mouth as they lay back on the chair straddling him as she lay on top of him before he stopped her and pushed her away.

"Ginny, have you, by any chance, run into Blaise tonight?" he enquired.

She sat up on his stomach and smiled knowing where this was going. "Actually yes I have. He handed me my cup of tea as I left the kitchen after a remarkable tale of how he 'crossed out' a man called George."

He frowned. "George Waltman?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Yeah, that was a few years ago, Blaise was really up for ki – you're changing the subject."

"I am not, you asked me if I met him and I said yes." She leaned forward on her palms, her hair fell over her shoulders and surrounded them.

"And he handed you a drink?" he said thoroughly ignoring the feel and sweet smell of her hair. She had washed it with some intoxicating scent and she was using it against him on purpose. He knew it.

"Yeah, my cup of tea," she said slowly as she leaned forward even more.

He narrowed his eyes and looked into hers seeing what he had seen earlier in the day. Desire. "I thought so. Ginny, get off me." He tried pushing her up.

"What?" she said resisting, "Why?"

He looked up at her in disbelief. How could Blaise have done this twice, was he trying to kill him too? "Because it's very likely that Blaise has slipped you something." He pushed her again but she wouldn't move, she just continued to smile.

"I doubt that," she said leaning down again. He went back with her to avoid her mouth._ Why won't he just hold still? _

He caught her face with his hand and pushed her back again as he sat up. "And why is that?"

She smiled even more. "Because I made it myself," she said pulling on the front of his shirt.

----

Ginny moaned softly in his ear at the burning sensation his hands left everywhere he touched her, if this was how it had felt this morning she was sorry she couldn't remember it. She had no idea what to expect, and found herself comfortably lost in his arms. Her face flushed red with the heat they created and her fingernails raked along his back as they moved in unison to each other. He watched her recording every movement of her face, every reaction of her body against his. Finally, they both collapsed and fell into a pleasurable slumber.

Later that night Draco awoke to a sick feeling in his stomach. He sat up and looked to his side to see Ginny asleep next to him. He rubbed his eyes in a vain attempt to get his brain to work logically and not be clouded by his heart. The one organ he had been trained to ignore for seven years straight. He had yet to work out how he had learnt it, trained with it and mastered it and yet she had some power over him to constrain that logic from making sense. He shook his head from these confusing thoughts and focused on her laying there, looking beautiful in the pale gleam of moonlight through the window.

The more he sat there, the more he fell and the more he fell, the more he convinced himself that he couldn't.

Eventually something would go wrong and she would be used against him and he'd have to choose. Either way she would be caught in the crossfire and he couldn't bear for that to happen. This couldn't go any further. He loved her, he knew it and most of everyone else in the house short of Potter knew it too. But it stopped here.

He couldn't protect her like this and he knew it. But he would just have to think about that in the morning. He lay back down and encircled his arm around her waist enjoying what he could while it was able to last.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Thirteen

Breaking All the Rules

**Saying the Right Thing**

The next morning, for the first time in a long while, Ginny awoke with a smile. She was not disoriented by her surroundings, she knew exactly where she was and she welcomed it. She turned over to find Draco lying asleep next to her. She lightly touched his face and he stirred opening his eyes.

"Morning," he said with a smile.

She matched it. "Morning."

He yawned and stretched moving his arms around her to squeeze her tight. She accepted it with ease, they felt so warm, so safe. At home. "Are you ready?" he said grimly.

She frowned perplexed by the sudden change in subject. Not that they had been talking. "For what?"

"To meet your parents… again," he added as an afterthought. "It's been a while since you've seen them hasn't it?"

"Almost eight years." She watched him carefully. "Do you ever miss yours?" It was his turn to frown. "Your family," she spelled out for him.

He rolled onto his back. "Missing my family would imply that I liked them to begin with." When there was no response he turned to her. "No, Ginny, I don't." He sat up and made for the bathroom behind the door to the right. She heard water running. When he came back out, some time later, he was soaking wet with a towel around his waist.

"Not even your mother?" she added.

"My mother?" he asked wanting to know what she was talking about. Their conversation before had obviously been forgotten. There was a knock at the door. "Come in," he called. The door opened slowly.

"Malfoy, have you seen – oh." Harry turned around with a slight blush and covered the side of his head. "Um, Ginny, Zabini says that he's ready to leave and to send you downstairs dressed and ready to go. Erm, you too Malfoy."

Ginny suddenly couldn't stop her laughter. "Harry, you can turn around." He did so, extremely slowly, with one eye still closed. Ginny was sitting up in the bed with the covers tucked under each arm while Draco stood without shame in his towel to the side searching through the wardrobe.

_Oh, Ron is not going to like this._

Draco seemed to be thinking along the same lines when he looked at Harry. Everything from last night came flooding back into his memory, including his afterthoughts when he woke up. "Potter could you excuse us for a second." Harry quickly left and shut the door. Draco turned to Ginny and went to sit down on the bed next to her. "Ginny, I think we need to clear something up."

The tone behind those words couldn't help but make her wonder. "What is it?" she said coming closer to him. She went to rest her hands on his.

As they touched he slowly inched away from them and tried hard to ignore her frown at his movement. "I think we should refrain from contact in public." He thought over his point. "At all if that's possible."

"What?"

"If we are going to your home, it is liable that most everyone of your family will be there. Given our history, no matter how many times I have saved your life," he added when she opened her mouth. He guessed that's what she was about to say because she shut it straight afterward. "I don't think I want to go through that kind of drama. Not that I cannot take them all out, but, seeing as more or less all wizards with authority are after any unknown they can find, I cannot use magic and Merlin knows how many against one is hardly fair."

"So just not in public?" She shrugged. "I can handle that."

He sighed heavily. "No, Ginny, not at all."

She shook her head. "I don't understand."

"I mean." He sighed. "It's far too dangerous for anything like this to be happening right now. I don't want to see you hurt and if anything did happen I would most likely go after them with all I had and kill them with an unforgivable, revive them and then do it again. You don't want that do you?"

"No but you're being stupid."

"I'm being stupid," he repeated. "How is keeping you safe being stupid? You need protecting, Ginny. I cannot afford weaknesses in this profession. It could ruin everything."

"So I'm ruining everything for you? Is that it?"

"Yes – no! No that's not what I mean."

She sat forward and glared at him. "What _do_ you mean then?"

"I mean that this is too dangerous for either of us to consider. It's got too many obstacles that we cannot get around and you're only going to get hurt. I'm not going to put you through that." He stared at her. "I can't – I can't protect you like… this," he said gesturing to the sheets and the currently disarrayed bed. "I can't, it's too risky."

"So I'm the only one getting hurt. So, nothing we did meant anything to you?"

He was silent. It meant everything but he couldn't tell her that. There was too much at stake.

"Anything at all?" she said hopefully.

He remained silent fighting the urges to reach out to her. It was too much for him to handle right now so he simply got up and left, leaving Ginny alone in the room to do what he hoped she would do.

Hate him; it would make everything so much easier.

As he shut the door, something hit it with a tremendous crash. He winced at it and just stared at the door before turning and going downstairs.

----

"So immunity is all you want?"

He looked at Ginny. She was avoiding his gaze but he knew full well that she was listening carefully for the answer. "What else is there?" She let out a silent, shaky breath and closed her eyes catching a tear before it fell. She looked incredulous and walked out into the garden leaving them talking. Ron glared at Malfoy.

"Money?" Harry said disdainfully. He ignored Ginny's tantrum. Somehow, in the space of seeing them together smiling, they had gotten to hate each other. Not that he didn't mind it; it had done Ron a lot of good not seeing it. He knew Malfoy had something to do with it, it was the only explanation. He had seen how he looked at her when she wasn't looking. There was a sorrow mixed with great regret but the second she turned to him it was glazed over with an icy glare.

Draco started at his comment and gave an empty laugh. "I'm offering a trade, Potter, you get him, you get her and we get crossed off the map." He looked at Ron. "Weasley, do we have an accord?" He held out his hand.

Ron narrowed his eyes. "You want nothing else?" he asked.

Draco, unconsciously, looked outside to see Ginny sitting on the grass with Julia. He turned back as though nothing had happened though both Harry and Blaise had glanced to see what he was watching. "There are many things I want in this world, Weasley," he said turning back to him. "But what I want, you will never be able to give me." He stood up and instantly Ron did the same. "Your money means nothing to me," he said looking at Harry. "If anything you should do it because you owe me."

Harry frowned. "I don't owe you a-."

"You owe me more than you know, Potter. Let's just leave it at that."

Harry looked dubious. "What could I possibly owe you?"

Draco shrugged. "Your help, like I gave you mine."

"What?"

Blaise put a hand on Draco's shoulder pulling him to look at him. "Draco, it's against policy."

"He's asking the questions, not me." He glanced at Harry and then sat down again. Blaise followed suit. "Think back, Potter, to the days when Voldemort ruled."

Harry frowned. "What would you have to do with that? You weren't even around."

He smiled knowingly. "You would think so, wouldn't you? I mean, seeing as nobody _saw_ me," he stressed and sat back.

He shook his head. "I don't understand."

"We go through great lengths, Potter. After my third year of training I had my first mark. That's where I got my number. The same way all markers get their numbers."

"The letters for the grade," Blaise inserted. "The first numbers for their initials based on the telephones used at the office for Muggle clients."

"The second numbers for the first mark you kill," Draco finished for him.

"Mine is A29-85: Grade A, the first year. 29 for Blaise Zabini. 85 for my marks initials, T.K, Theodore Knott."

"Mine is A36-58: Grade A. 36 for Draco Malfoy. 58 for my marks initials. LV. Take a wild guess, Potter."

"L.V?" He thought for a minute before settling on the inevitable conclusion. "Lord Voldemort?" There was suddenly a great understanding seen on Harry's features. "It was you who helped me?" he pointed.

Draco looked taken back, that was not the response he had expected. "You know about it?" He sat forward.

"I knew I couldn't kill him by myself, I was worn down. It near killed me with the amount of magic I had to use. I was about to give up when something hit me from behind." He looked at Ron who obviously had no idea given his face.

"Malfoy helped you? Why?" he said, his eyes narrowing

"It was a Rejuvenation spell." He shrugged. "I thought you needed it. Transference of magic via wands, your personnel wouldn't have been able to trace me because most of you were there in the first place. I learned it in training, 'Spells and incantations for detainment and damage.' There are ways and ways to kill your mark. I figured that seeing you were meant to get the credit for it I might as well use your position to help myself. It was so much easier to cover up that way."

"I knew it, I knew it wasn't me who did it. I could feel something else there." He glanced at Ron again. "I never told anyone. I was supposed to be their savior but I couldn't even do that without help."

Draco scoffed indignantly. "Oh stop being a whiner. You did kill him, Potter. I don't remember sending any spells in his direction, it was all you if memory serves. You were just worn out to carry on so I reversed that so you would have a fighting chance. That's what a rejuvenation spell does, it wakes you up, gives you energy. The whole 'defeating the dark lord' thing was you not anyone else, especially me."

"So he owes you more than he thinks?" Ron said.

"Well, now you owe me more than you know."

"I guess so," Harry said quietly and sat down.

---

A/N not so long this one, but don't worry they get longer.


	15. Chapter 15

In this chapter, Molly shows her subtly manipulative side, Ginny has a revelation and Blaise and Julia have a heart to heart… Enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen

Breaking All the Rules

**Stress Can Do Wonders**

Molly spotted them as they were about to leave. She had been so caught up in welcoming her daughter home that she hadn't even thanked them. Well she knew the perfect way to do that. "Are you staying for dinner?" she said as she cornered them by the door.

Draco turned behind Julia and Blaise as they put on their coats to go outside and apparate from the cold to the heat of Venezuela. "Dinner? No, no I don't think so we really have to go." He turned back and looked at Blaise who had paused.

"Did I hear something about food?" he asked him. Draco tried his best to at least make him budge toward the door some more.

"No Zabini, you didn't. We're leaving."

Molly, who had overheard the curious voice answered with the truth. "I just asked if you could stay for dinner," she said with a smile. "It's been a while since I've had so many people here."

Draco forced a smile and turned back. "I told you, Mrs. Weasley, we-."

"Is it… home cooked?" Blaise said shyly. Draco looked at him as if he had grown another head.

She looked a little confused at first, anyone who knew her well wouldn't need to ask that. "Why yes dear, all my meals are home cooked," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She smiled at the broad grin that suddenly crept up on Blaise's face.

"Blaise, we have to-."

Blaise ignored him and grabbed Julia's hand pulling her back into the house. "We'd love to stay. Won't we?" she nodded and followed him.

Draco tugged on his arm as he passed him. "Blaise, can I speak to you for a minute please," he smiled broadly before shaking his head sharply in one direction as if he had a weird tick. "In there," he said in a harsh whisper.

"Erm, sure." Blaise walked to where Draco's head signalled. Draco turned to Mrs. Weasley and plastered the broad smile once more.

"We'll be right back."

She gave an indifferent wave and took Julia's hand. "Take your time dear, we'll wait for you."

When she was well out of earshot, Draco walked into the living room to see Blaise inspecting the pictures on the various surfaces. He walked up to him and pushed him onto the sofa.

"What the hell are you thinking?" He glared at Blaise who only stared at him with his eyes trained on Draco's face and every flailing arm. "Here I am, trying to get out of here and there you are, trying to move in? What is that, 'is it home cooked?' my arse." He began to pace up and down and Blaise sat there still only moving his eyes that followed him. "Are you trying to destroy me? I don't want to be here, Blaise." He gave up and finally flung himself next to him on the sofa.

Blaise frowned and slowly let down his barriers. There was no anger there, not because it had all been let out but because it wasn't there to begin with. He raised an eyebrow. Curiosity was his worst trait.

"And why is that?" he said crossing his arms.

Draco gave him an obvious look. "Oh, Mr. big empath doesn't know what I'm feeling?" he said sarcastically.

Blaise glared at him. "I resent that." He adjusted himself on the seat so that he was facing him. "What meaningless self inflicted psychological trauma are you going through now?" he sighed.

"Huh?" Draco frowned.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he stood up, it was his time to pace. "We practically _gave_ you _everything_ you wanted. And to top it all off, you're actually being invited to dinner. _Invited_. It's a _home – cooked – meal,_ Draco!" he said as if he was striving to make him understand. Draco looked at him guiltily, he knew how Blaise felt about home cooked meals, take-away meals and restaurant meals and… well, just meals in general but home cooked was his favourite because they were rare. The rare things are always cherished the most. "Do you know what that means, Draco, home – cooked?" he enunciated. "What else is there?" he said exasperated.

But he just couldn't bring himself to care right now, he was too distracted. "I – I can't do it, Blaise. It's not right."

Blaise snorted. "That's not what I felt yesterday when I passed my living room. I have Julia now and two against one is a one sided argument mate. The staff didn't like what you did to that sofa by the way."

He ignored the last comment. "I can't protect her like that, Blaise, you know I can't."

He dropped his arms giving up. "What do I know?"

"You went through it too. Sure it was a little different but the principle is the same."

"You're right, it is completely different. Number one, Ginevra is not an assassin. Number two, if it were the same principle, Ginevra would be me. I doubt she's going to go through the next four years spitting out high level spells and killing random people. Though, in the mood she's in right now, I wouldn't put it past her cos people screwing up your feelings like that isn't very nice, mate, believe me. That would also mean that you would be Julia right now." He stopped to survey him and narrowed his eyes before grimacing, "I find that greatly disturbing."

Draco laughed.

"Look, Draco, just enjoy the meal. See where it takes you. Ginny hates you right now so I guess you got what you wanted right? Someone who hates you can't possibly follow you blindly into traps and such and then get in the way of some curse or the other that's aimed for you, am I right?"

Draco looked at him incredulous. "How did you-."

Blaise silenced him. "It's a gift."

----

Dinner, as it was, was not as enjoyable as Draco would have liked. When he got to the table there was only three seats left on one side for Blaise Julia and himself. The treacherous pair went to one side leaving his space vacant. And directly opposite Ginny.

To count the ways they would pay would be pointless as he'd run out of fingers somewhere along the line.

It's not that he didn't mind the glares or the snort whenever he would speak or not speak at all, the biting remarks and the endless awkwardness in general is what got him.

"So, do you get promotions? Are there any kind of benefits to being… what you are?" Ron asked curiously.

"Well," Julia cut in. "If you don't wish to go out into the field you can settle down into a teaching job. That's what I did." Ron looked at her. "I didn't want to go out into the field and," she said looking at Blaise guiltily, "because of my potions skills, I was allowed to stay on for elixirs and such. Eventually, after a few months, I became a teacher there." She avoided Blaise's gaze.

"You teach?"

"How do you expect we learn, Weasley?" Draco said.

Ginny scoffed. He flashed a glare and rolled his eyes soon afterwards.

Blaise continued. "I suppose you think they just cast a spell that made us what we are? No, no Weasley, we trained for three years to get here." He turned his attention back his spoon.

"How long have you been doing this?" Harry asked from the end of the table.

Blaise looked to the ceiling counting. "Well, training for three years, field for four. Seven years."

"Se… you're joking?"

"Afraid not." He turned to Julia.

"So what else?"

"You travel a lot," Draco added.

"You get transferred?"

"No, it depends on where the mark goes. We have to follow them and bring back the receipt in a week's dead line. If it's not there the first three days into it, you get called in."

"So you've not handed in receipts a lot then?"

Blaise and Draco looked pointedly at Ron and said abruptly. "No." Harry and Ron looked at them.

"You're good then?"

Julia smiled. "Normally, people who have heard of them don't need to ask that."

Blaise turned to her. "You've been following our careers? I'm touched."

She scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. It's for History. You're the most wanted markers in the business. You're more or less the reason the company's this successful."

"What company?" Harry asked curiously.

"Le-." She was stopped by Blaise's hand over her mouth. Blaise shot him a glare, as did Draco.

Draco was the one to speak. "It doesn't matter." Blaise removed his hand and continued eating. Harry and Ron exchanged looks and decided it was not wise to continue.

When dinner was over, after Blaise's second helping of dessert, they made to leave. That is until Mrs. Weasley asked them to stay. And Blaise accepted.

Draco had now run out of fingers and toes and just about anything else he could count on, including the hairs on his head.

Blaise took a bedroom upstairs, as did Julia. Draco had graciously taken the sofa because it was the closest room to the front door and it was furthest away from Ginny.

----

"So what happened between you and Malfoy? One minute you were all." She smiled happily. "Then you were all." She frowned grumpily. "What's going on? There are so many different emotions in this place it's hard to keep up."

"He's being stupid." Julia turned around from the dressing table.

"He's being stupid? How?"

"By being himself." She picked up a comb and stomped back to her bed. "I know he wants me." She combed through her hair harshly before going back to the dressing table, slamming it down and picked up a brush. "He's acting like he doesn't but I know he does. He's just being stupid."

Julia chanced a breach in her barriers. The first thing she felt was the frustration in Ginny, she seemed to be angry but she wasn't. There was a mask of anger there, perhaps a layer of dislike but it was very thin and hardly there. It was more… Julia smiled brightly when she found what she knew was there.

She was in love with the guy.

"Ginny, would you mind if I just went outside for a second?"

Ginny sneered and slammed the brush down into an unexpecting pillow. "Do what you want," she said grumpily.

She raised an eyebrow and moved cautiously to the door. When she stepped outside, she saw Blaise opening the door to one of the rooms on the corridor. She walked over to him and waited for the opportune moment. She knew he was testing the atmosphere before he entered and that was not a time to disturb him. When he sighed and began to walk in she snuck up behind him and stuck two fingers into his side making him jump and almost scream.

"Knew I'd make you scream one day," she commented before realising how it sounded and looking away awkwardly.

He laughed and walked into the room. She stepped in behind him and looked around.

She walked around the room with her curiosity peeking. "Everyone here has a different personality. There were a few rooms I inspected before coming up with a curse breaker's room. I'm guessing it was a he, as Weasley's are known for them." She frowned at the old looking broom in the corner and ran a hand over it. "It was funny," she said leaving it to pick up a toy dragon. "When Molly said he was a curse breaker I was scared at what might happen when my barriers fell as I slept." She put it down and moved to the window over the bed to open it. "When I went in, it wasn't so bad." She began to struggle with the window because it wouldn't open. Blaise knelt to help her.

"And why was that?" he said as it snapped open.

She fell onto the bed with a sigh. "The last time he was here, he had a girl over," she continued at his intrigued look.

"Really?" he said slyly. "Was it a friend-girl or a girl-friend?" he smiled.

She shook her head. "And Molly said he was a good boy, how blind loving mother's can be."

He lay back on the pillow. "Indeed."

She looked at him; he was so different than he was when he had left years ago. So much had happened to him and so little had happened to her. He had had other things to preoccupy himself with marks and such. All she had was a set of students that reminded her more of him than she'd like to admit. To say she missed him would be an understatement. When she had told him that she wasn't going out in the field he had looked at her in a way that she would never forget. She told him that she would distract him too much and that it would have caused way too many problems. She never thought he had forgiven her for it and apparently he hadn't because of what he had said to her on the island.

"_It won't be the first time you've hit me there."_

He had told her never to speak to him again the day after when the ship had come to take them. He told her that she'd ripped out his heart and fed it to the camp's wolves. That she wasn't going to speak to him and give him hope in order to rip it out again.

She had let him go that day and thought about him everyday since knowing it was over.

Yet, here he was. Lying down next to her, letting her talk to him and laugh with him and… touch him. She didn't think it would be so easy after what she had done.

"Julia."

"Hmm," she said lost in thought. When she came to he was sitting up and staring at her point blank in the eyes. "Oh," she said surprised and smiled, "hello."

He smirked having caught her. "Hey," he said quietly. He continued to stare at her.

"What?" she eventually said.

"I want to hear you."

She blinked numerous times trying to decipher that cryptic message. "Huh?"

"I want to hear you," he repeated.

"You can't hear me?" she asked confused. He sighed and she felt that she was missing something terribly obvious. As she worked this out she realised he was suddenly kissing her.

She opened her mouth in surprise, which only encouraged him more, and she went back on the bed holding him close to her. Eventually, when she had given up on figuring it out, she lost it and instantly her barriers dropped. As they did, he stopped.

He smiled. "There you are," he whispered into her mouth. She looked up at him. He was staring at nothing as if he were having a conflicting conversation in his head. He frowned and looked at her answering her questions. "I can hear you. Why are you feeling guilty?"

She suddenly understood what he meant and slammed them up again. How was he able to do that, just make her barriers fall like that? She got up and walked to the centre of the room feeling very freaked out. "How did you – why – why did you do that?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I wanted to hear you, I told you already."

She eyed him overly frustrated. "You're not supposed to do that, Blaise, it's dangerous! We have complex minds, Zabini; you can't just go around probing into them. Didn't you learn anything in class?" She felt a tugging on her neck and reached around to put the pendant on her chain back in front of her.

He smiled ruefully. "I know, it was… different, there was a lot of things to sort through before I got to where I wanted-."

"No! No Blaise, you shouldn't want to do anything with my mind. I don't want you there. There are things in it that I don't want you to know."

"I'm sorry," he said truthfully.

She looked away for a while pretending that she was thinking about it. The truth was, she was never able to stay angry at him. Ever. It was annoying actually now that she thought about it.

"It's alright, just – don't do it again."

He stood up and walked to her. "That's not what I'm saying sorry for."

She shook her head in confusion. "So what are you saying sorry for?" she asked.

He sighed and looked at her as if apologizing beforehand and closed his eyes before he spoke, he wasn't sure he wanted to see her reaction to what he had discovered. "I can't believe you would do this to me, that day before we leave. I hate you and every reason you have had forced into your mind about this," he said softly. Even without channeling her feelings, he knew she had become tense. He knew it because he had too. He was upset that he had hurt her so much with it, even after four years it was like a vivid portrait that she kept in her head. There was so much pain painted around it that he hardly saw it. "I hope you're happy with yourself," he continued. "Don't go feeding my heart to the wolves all at once, Raymond, make sure to rip it up and give them an equal share…"

She felt the tears burning down her face as he quoted every line he had said to her the night before he boarded. She closed her eyes; it had been scarred into her mind so vividly that it played like a film in her head. She pictured everything, even the noises of the forest that buzzed around their fire.

Blaise opened his eyes and looked down at her with her eyes closed and knew painfully that she was reliving it. He had seen it in her head, he didn't even know she felt so bad about it. He had tried to hate her for it, he really had but it was impossible. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't hate her, it was just a foreign concept with him which had made it even harder to look at her. He grasped her hand and pulled her closer and she stepped toward him putting her head on his chest. He swallowed hard before speaking. "Don't ever speak to me again."

Julia looked at him in her memory four years ago. He looked younger, even as he was getting up and walking away. "Blaise, please just-," she began and squeezed his hand as if he was really walking away from her and she was trying to pull him back.

He squeezed her hand tighter. "I wouldn't want any hopes for us before you rip out again." She openly sobbed into his chest. He dropped her hand and held her tight. "Julia, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it I swear."

He nodded bravely between sobs. "I know."

"No you didn't. You've been feeling guilty about it ever since. I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me? I- I." He cupped her face and stared hopefully into her eyes.

She smiled behind them. "I want to hear you," she said shakily. "Say it so only I can hear you."

He stood up straight, "I don't know if you can, it could be dangerous. There are a lot of things in there."

She moved closer to him it were even possible. "Then make it safe for me, I'm sure you can manage it. Tell me, Blaise. I want to hear it."

----

_She clung to the stinging red cheek and sobbed quietly._

_The man she had heard as Girard reprimanded the man who hit her and crouched down as he sucked on the hand she had bitten. He put a hand on her shoulder ignoring her flinching back as he did so. As she flinched away from him, she noticed the wedding ring on his finger. It shone under the light of the streetlamp above them. It looked very expensive._

"_What is your name?" he said._

_She didn't answer; she didn't even look at him._

_He sighed. "Another silent one. You see that man there, the one who hit you?" he pointed up and waited for her to look, which she eventually did. They all did at some point. She stared at the man in contempt. "He can do a lot worse than hit. Now what is your name?"_

_She looked at him. "Ginevra."_

"_Good, first step is communication. Do you have a second name?"_

"_Weasley."_

"_Weasley? Where do I know that name?"_

_One of his men stepped forward. "Ministry, Sir."_

_He nodded distracted, "Thank you, the Aurors, you have family there don't you?"_

_She sneered, "So?"_

_He narrowed his eyes at her. "I take it that you don't like your family then?" he asked her._

_She shook her head and turned to the ground again. "I don't have a family anymore."_

_The man stepped out again. "Sir, is this necessary? If there's no one to look for her we'll just kill her, one less witness for you to worry about it." He sounded confident._

_Girard turned on him, "Shut up," he snapped. "You think that if her body turns up somewhere that there won't be an investigation?" The man stepped down again a little less confident than before. "Be they her wanted family or not," he said eying each of the men before him, before settling them on the one who spoke against him, "she is still their family, and family doesn't stop looking. Ever." He stopped glaring at him and looked back at the girl in front him. "Ginevra? Can I ask you a question?"_

_She simply nodded._

"_What did you see?" She looked at him wide-eyed. The last time she had heard that, the person it was said to was bludgeoned with sticks, bottles, knives and god knows what else. "Don't worry; I won't do anything to you."_

Yet_, she thought to herself._

_He turned her toward him. "Ginevra, what did you see?" His tone got more urgent and Ginny's eyes began to tear. He sighed. "Very well. I shall have to take care of it myself."_

_That same man smiled and stepped forward again. "Sir-." Ginny looked at him and grimaced at the look in his eye._

"_No, leave this to me." Ginny began to shake. "Where's my wand?"_

"_Here it is sir." He took it and pointed it at Ginny._

"_Look at me, Ginevra." She slowly brought her gaze up to him, the tears crept out like small waves. _

_She may have been acting strong all this time after witnessing that interrogation. Even though she didn't know what was going on, why the man was being beaten or why she had to look over that fence, she knew one thing. Having family or not and not having anything to really live for, she didn't want to die. "Please," she said quietly, it was almost inaudible. She began to shake her head pleading and bit her lip._

"_Obliviate!" he shouted._

Her eyes flew open as she gasped loudly sitting up and grasping the sheets into balls in her hands. Her hair flew forward over her shoulders and she looked around the room and the darkness that engulfed it. She narrowed her eyes to the room. Something was different. There wasn't anyone in her room, she knew that much. Apparently nearly a decade away from it did not take away her sixth sense when it came to her territory. She sighed between ragged breaths and wiped some of the sweat off her forehead. Getting up and walking to her closet to find her robe, she mashed something on the floor. It was the brush she had thrown on the ground just after Julia had left.

She bent to pick it up and smiled. She loved that hair brush. She had charmed it in school to always find it way back to her room if it was ever left somewhere. She had had to pay careful attention to it in school because if she had ever lost it, it would have come back home. She didn't want that but it had happened on more that one occasion. She continued to her wardrobe.

She had taken it with her when she had left. She lost it just after she had found a job at a bookstore in London. She had been so upset because she really didn't want to go home for it seeing as there was no b-.

_But that's a lie isn't it?_

She shook off her previous thought and reached into the wardrobe. There had always been a burrow. Girard had brainwashed her. _The second he had muttered that memory charm he ruined my life._

She stopped reaching into the wardrobe, her hand pausing on the robe hanging on its peg.

'_Memory charm?'_ she thought to herself. Understanding crossed her features and she grabbed the robe before flinging it on and running outside. She didn't care who she ran into as long as it was someone. She had been in that state before, having nightmares that she would fly awake from with a cold sweat. This time there was something different, she could feel it. She only now realised what it was.

She remembered her dream.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Fifteen

Breaking All the Rules

**Just Let It Be**

"**_Breakfast tables, as good as the breakfast eaten on it."_**

Ginny made her way past various rooms wondering which one was Blaise's. She opened numerous doors to her brother's rooms finding an asleep Ron and Hermione in one room and smiling wondering if Molly knew about it. Harry had told her about Ron and Hermione and how they seemed to follow each other around lately. She had come over later in the day and her look when she saw the visitors and hearing about what they were doing there was almost indescribable. It showed many questions being answered and asked in her head with the occasional audible 'of course,' and but why's. No matter how much time passed, Hermione was still Hermione. She shut the door and then opened another door to Harry's room. He was sleeping on his stomach, something he had done since school if she remembered correctly. She had always wondered if it were safe to do that having just eaten. She shrugged as she closed the door carrying on in her search.

She came to Bill's room, the room that Julia was sleeping in. When she opened the door though, she wasn't there. Ginny raised an eyebrow, having a feeling she knew where the girl was, probably doing the same thing that Hermione did. She smiled shaking her head and decided to leave it for the morning. She passed Charlie's room not wanting to disturb it before walking straight passed the last three knowing that Draco was in one of them and she didn't want to face him right now, she'd be way too tempted to stab him twenty-four times before slicing him in two.

She had wondered why she kept thinking that twenty-four would be appropriate. The number seemed to be logical somehow. She shrugged and made way for the steps suddenly getting the urge for a glass of ice cold milk.

She padded down the steps wondering what she would say to Blaise when she saw him, and if he questioned why she hadn't told him tonight what her reply would be. _ Because you were shagging Julia and I didn't want to walk in and have the image scarred in my mind. _She laughed quietly. He seemed to be the logical choice to tell of her dream as he was the one in her head before. He was probably the most sensible of the lot too, even if he did have a slightly unhealthy obsession with food. She frowned, it would do no good to think of such things now, and she too had an unhealthy obsession. Even if it weren't so edible, it was certainly tempting to look at.

She froze on the bottom step and almost gasped when the sight of said slight obsession lay on the couch in front of her as she passed the living room to go out in the garden. The kitchen was no place to be if he was right there, he'd wake up immediately with those stupid reflexes he had. She tutted loudly in her head and opened the door. The night sky was laden with stars and she closed her eyes breathing in the fresh night air. The sound of silence was more than comforting. She stepped outside and let go of the door. But when she let it go, it slammed loud against the frame. She mentally swore and looked around in a panic for somewhere to hide and ran to a tree to stand behind.

Five seconds into standing there, she wondered what the hell she was doing hiding in the garden. It was one of those spare of the moment things where stupid things are decided on in a bizarre state of mind. She stepped out of the tree laughing at her silliness and wound the robe tighter around herself as she made her way back to the house. It was three in the morning and she was busy hiding from Draco behind trees. If only her friends in her neighbourhood could see her now. She looked up smiling knowing that they'd probably laugh at her, actually running from a man.

When she looked up she froze, standing in front of her blocking the ajarred door from shutting was Draco wrapped in the quilt he was sleeping under on the couch in the living room.

"Do you usually wake people up and then hide behind trees? It would explain a lot about you if you did. Was this practiced here as a child or did you pick it up from your husband?"

She would have scowled if she hadn't noticed his hair. All disarranged and sticking up in weird places, it resembled a lot like Harry's. A blonde Harry, she almost burst out laughing.

"Can you refrain from laughing at me? That couch isn't so comfortable." He opened the door to allow her to pass. As she crossed the frame he stared at her. "It's your fault it's like this anyway." She stopped to look at him. "Bad dreams," he elaborated. Though they had been far from bad if what he had been feeling in it was anything to go by.

She narrowed her eyes searching his face. "I know how that feels," she said. "Just woke from one actually." She walked inside and went straight for the parlour. She took out a bottle of milk and opened another cupboard for some glasses.

"Oh," he said intrigued. "Do tell." He yawned and sat down at the dining table.

She cast a chilling charm on the bottle. "Why do you care?" she said sitting down opposite him. She glared at him.

He sighed. "Don't be like that. Anything out of the ordinary can be a clue to whatever that son-of-a-bitch husband did to you. No offence."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What makes you think bad dreams are out of the ordinary for me? None taken."

"You have them often then?"

She shrugged and filled the glass to the brim. "Sometimes, this one was different though."

"How so?" he asked as she drained the glass without coming up for air.

"I remembered this one. It's strange cos I've never done that before. Usually I wake up from them without any memory of them, but somehow I'm remembering this one. What else is, that it looks like the other half of the story that I read yesterday."

He shifted on his seat remembering what else had happened after she read it. He cleared his throat. "Do you remember what happened?"

She sighed. "He asked for my name, I gave it to him. Then they argued over whether to kill me or not. Then he Obliviated me," she said offhandedly.

He frowned and looked at her. "You seem awfully calm about this."

She raised an eyebrow and set the glass down. Leaning forward she said, "You're gonna kill him, aren't you?" she asked bluntly as if it was obvious.

"It's a plan among others," he said.

She shrugged. "Well what's not to be calm about?" she said sitting back. "Either way I'm getting rid of him. I don't want anything to do with him again. If you listen to me, perhaps you'll understand why you're such an idiot as of late." She poured another glass.

He sat back with his mouth open. He had not expected an answer like that. She was acting different than she usually did. Less concerned with what was going on. This was not the same person he had met two days ago; this was the person from last night who didn't give a damn. Girard was long gone and she was making it painlessly clear.

"I hope I'm there," she said looking at nothing with a smile on her face, "when he goes down. I hope I see his face and get to spit on it."

"Ginny, are you alright?" He began to wonder if the milk was spiked.

"Me? I'm perfect. I've been married to some man who Obliviated me first before he married me so I wouldn't bare witness to some kind of interrogation that was way less than legal. Then he wastes a year of my life that I could have spent looking for an actual husband that wouldn't try to kill me the second I start showing signs of remembering it."

"What?" he said a little shocked.

"Huh?" she said not knowing what she had said.

"Did you say that you've had these dreams before?" he said.

She nodded saying, "Ah." She drained the glass and set it on the table again. "Yep, but I didn't remember them. I just told you that weren't you listening?" She gave a sardonic smile. "Oh yeah, I forgot, you don't listen to _anything_ I say do you?"

He gripped the bridge of his nose. If this was what she was like with Girard he was sure baring witness wasn't the only reason he wanted her gone. He'd seen worse reasons on a mark's form that's for sure.

She studied him. He seemed to be thinking of something, perhaps a witty comeback. She snorted and he looked up at her narrowing his eyes. "What?" she said defensively before draining another glass.

"If you didn't remember the dreams, how did he know that you were remembering it?"

"It was because of the daydreams. I used to pass out sometimes when I was under great amounts of stress. Like that wedding he held for me. There was this woman he was always hanging around, she had this horrid laugh that sounded like a dying giraffe. I didn't like it and I passed out at the reception. No one knew why but we went out to our honeymoon, very uneventful by the way. Few months later we go on holiday and when we get back he's never home and when he is he has no time for me. I once passed out in his office, it was funny actually. His secretary caught me and when I woke up I said… something and they freaked out. Later on Girard asked me where I heard the name…" She stopped.

"The name…" he prompted. "What name?"

She looked at him. "James Thomas." She sighed and set down the glass. "I knew I'd heard that name before. I knew I had heard that story before. I've seen it, more than once. I just couldn't remember it." She sat back. "Then he started taking me out more and smiling a lot. Stupid me, I thought he was finally changing. I didn't know he was sweetening me up to have me murdered. He took me to that restaurant to have me killed and he left me there to go home to that woman." She sat forward looking at the surface of the table as if she were working out a complex question.

She looked up at him coming to a rude awakening and laughed emptily. "She was the same bitch from the wedding. That laughter, she laughed that way when we were together planning it. I thought she was married. She was always wearing that god awful wedding ring that was two sizes too big for her and gleamed in the sunlight. I hated her-." She paused. "Wait."

"What?"

"The wedding ring." She wracked her brain for where it looked familiar. She stopped when she remembered being on the ground on a street in London. Flinching away from Girard and seeing the bright wedding band on his hand. "I saw it on his hand." She looked up at Draco with her mouth open. "She's his wife. He was already married." She stood up in shock. "That's absolute – pig faced – using – manipulative – most evil – unadulterated – fucking – bastard!" she yelled.

"Ginny, Shh!" he tried attempting to calm her down. "You'll wake everyone up." She eventually simmered down and sat in the chair. She rested her head in her hands as her shoulders began to shake.

She surveyed this sudden change in her mood. She seemed to do that often. "Are you crying?" He thought he had to make sure.

"No."

He raised an eyebrow. "That obviously means yes."

She raised her head angrily and he winced at her red eyes. "What do you know?" she said spitefully. "It's not as if you care. You're too stupid to know anything anyway." She got up and made for the stairs only to find his hand obstructing her from ascending them.

Apparently she wasn't the only fast one.

"How can you say that to me? Of course I care. I think I've proved it on more than one occasion."

"Saving your own arse doesn't count, Malfoy. If you actually cared you wouldn't have told me you wanted nothing to do with me this morning. You act as if I'm going to get hurt from this. The only one hurting me is you. You say you don't want to do that but you've done it anyway. That's why I'm calling you stupid. Because you are to not notice it." She glared at him. "Now move."

"No."

"What?"

The only answer she got was him pulling her toward him. She relented immediately as her arms made their way across his shoulders and snaked around his neck. They blindly stepped to the kitchen table and he lifted her onto it, causing the table legs to screech against the tiled floor. Her head went back and bumped lightly on the table surface as he kissed his way down her neck undoing the tie to her robe and reached for the few done up buttons of her pajama shirt. She moaned quietly as each button was undone with precision and the shirt was slid off expertly and tossed to one side. Her legs wrapped around his waist as his mouth found hers again. The table legs continued to screech along the ground as he pushed against her and they cracked up with laughter each time as they tried in vain to be quiet but continued anyway. They collapsed and the screeching stopped leaving the kitchen in silence. Relaxing against the table, Ginny hit her head a little less light than before and held her head realising she had hit the glass she had drank out of.

"Ow," she laughed. Draco rolled off her and did a good job of laying next her without falling off. She turned toward him and smiled with her hand still at her head rubbing. "That hurt."

He shrugged. "Be careful next time."

"Next time?" she said with a mischievous grin. She didn't know if it was the bump from her head but she suddenly realised where she was. "Oh no," she said suddenly sitting up.

"What? What is it?" he said.

Her hand flew to her mouth. "I cannot believe we did this here. My family eats on this table."

He shrugged. "Well, what they don't know can't hurt them." She carried on as if he hadn't spoken. She turned and pointed at various nearby chairs.

"Charlie sits there and mum sits there and Ron… oh poor Ron," she said pointing to where Draco's middle was. He burst out laughing before her hand flew to his mouth with a smile. "We have to move."

He removed her hand. "Where do you suppose we go?"

"Well, upstairs would be a good place."

"But I sleep downstairs."

"So?"

"I may have been stupid by telling you to stay away but I wasn't when I said, 'one against god knows how many is hardly fair.' I may be good but I'm not suicidal."

She sighed. "What do we do then?"

He looked contemplative. "Go to bed, we'll sort it out in a few hours."

She nodded and hopped off the table to retrieve her shirt and pulled the robe out from under him before putting it on. He went to pick up the quilt that still rested on the chair he was sitting at and threw it around him. She paused before going upstairs and turned to look at him.

"A few hours then?" she said.

He stepped toward her and kissed her lightly. "See you at breakfast." She smiled and went upstairs to her room.

Draco turned to the living room and sat heavily in his bed staring at the small fire as it burned away at the logs wondering how that had all happened. First they were arguing and then there she went just disrupting years of teachings and practice. She had a talent for it and he found himself not minding it as much as he should. He lay down, still thinking about her, and fell asleep shortly afterwards.

----

When Ginny woke up and made her way downstairs the next morning, Draco was already awake and dressed along with Blaise and Julia who seemed to be smiling, a lot. She watched them with the suspicion that Draco had been watching them in and sat down in the same seat she had at dinner. Ron was sitting next to her speaking to Hermione and Harry had taken the other head of the table next to Hermione and Julia.

She picked up her glass from the set table in front of her and poured herself some orange juice all the while stealing glances across from her and looking away with a bright red face. She heard when he laughed but was glad when no one else noticed. They spent the next few minutes in silence which all others translated as their previous feelings of hatred for each other as they suppressed smiles and slight laughter.

It wasn't until Mrs. Weasley brought in breakfast and laid it in front them, one namely being Ron, did the smiles become not so suppressed. They tried everything, biting their lips, covering their faces and even kicking each other.

But when he said, "Yummy," and dug into his breakfast they lost control.

Ginny laughed out loud and turned away from him, which caught everyone by surprise and Draco excused himself from the table and moved out to the garden followed shortly by Ginny who couldn't take the confused look on Ron's face any longer.

"What was that about?" Harry asked.

Blaise narrowed his eyes in suspicion and looked at Julia with a look that said, 'Something's going on.' She just nodded and they both tuned into the room. They first felt the confusion of the others and dug deeper to find a remnant of what they had felt at the house in Venezuela after they had slipped them the potion. They both tuned out abruptly and looked around the room wondering where it could have happened. When their hands touched the surface of the table, a sharp bolt went up their spines. They looked at their hands on the table and a look of understanding ran across their faces. They grimaced, pushing their chairs back from the table so far that they bumped into the counter behind them. They looked to the floor where they could see scuff marks in a long line leading to the rubber at the feet of the table legs.

"Eew," they said in unison and laughed.

Blaise looked up at Mrs. Weasley. "Molly, is there any possibility that I can eat your delicious cooking in the living room?" Mrs. Weasley smiled at his charm and nodded immediately.

"Of course dear, anything you want." She turned back to the kitchen counter as Blaise and Julia made their way into the living room ignoring the laughter of the two outside.

----

"Oh god, I'm going to hell I know it." Ginny rested on the grass outside casting a heating charm around her to get rid of the chill.

"If you're going to hell, I'm going somewhere so much worse." They sat in silence for a bit before he started to chuckle.

"What?" she asked.

He laughed again. "Yummy," he said containing himself, barely.

She laughed, "Oh no, please don't I only just stopped." She rested her head on his shoulder.

Just then a snowy owl descended onto the grass and stepped a few paces to Draco before holding his leg out and waiting for him to take it.

Draco frowned, who would be sending him owls? Anyone he ever knew he had either killed or they thought he was dead during the war. He took the small rolled up letter and the owl flew away without waiting for a reply.

He opened it and read it twice with a shock in his features before letting it drop out of his hands onto the grass. Ginny picked it up and looked at the bottom for a signature. It said G. E. Malfoy.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"George Edward Malfoy, my grandfather. It's a traditional English name, a muggle name. My great grandfather was a traditional Malfoy, no contact with anything muggle."

"So why did he name his son that?"

"He wanted a daughter," he said simply. "If he had something in his home that was muggle he hated it. He had a daughter eventually and my grandfather was cast away from the Malfoy home. He went away and married a pureblood and had my father. They lived in peace for two years before my great grandfather came after them and demanded that his grandson be taken back to the manor. My father had my great-grandfather's teaching. I, in turn, had my father's teaching. I kept in touch with grandpa when I could, at school sending owls and stuff but father found out and when I sent another letter, my eagle owl, Osiris, never came back. That Christmas, I received mail. My Christmas present was a feather from Osiris' wing and one of her feet and a letter from my father forbidding me to send mail to my grandfather again. I kept receiving them but I couldn't reply and soon they stopped coming."

"That's terrible."

"Yeah well, it happened and I can't do anything about it. I don't know what would make him write to me now though. I had totally forgotten about him, I thought he was dead. Everyone thought he was dead."

"Maybe that's what he wanted you all to think."

"Maybe. I have to see him."

"What?"

"I have to see him. He says that he has something to tell me. I have to find out what's wrong." He stood up and gave her a hand before walking inside.

---

A/N Just who is this grandfather? How come Draco's so chummy with him? And more importantly… what the hell does he have to do with this story? Click next chapter to find out!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N more twists revealed, and… are those _really_ Lucius Malfoy's parents?

---

Chapter Sixteen

Breaking All the Rules

**Family Ties**

Leveret's secretary walked into the room smiling. "We have word from La Isla, Sir."

"What do they say?" Leveret asked intrigued.

"The Professor said that our marker was on the island with Mrs. Thomas. Apparently, he had her posing as his wife to get around questions being asked. When she was found out though, they fled."

"Fled? Where to?"

The smile he was sporting suddenly started to fade. "We haven't been able to trace them yet sir, but we will very soon. We're working on it now."

Leveret raised an eyebrow. "And how do you suppose to do that?" he said coldly. "You can't even get the difference between a mark and a client here."

His secretary looked pleading. "They took someone with them sir. A teacher. We are using her amulet now."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Who is she?"

----

They walked through a most densely wooded area through a gravelly path that crunched under their feet. The soil on both sides full of shrubs was grainy and smelled strong of natural earth. They walked for a while before Blaise began to comment on his grandfather's choice of residence. Draco turned around. "If you wanted to be left alone wouldn't you go somewhere that nobody would want to go?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that when you invite people over that you can't give them a portkey that takes them straight to your home. You know, I always wondered where you got that _'tear the page in half'_ thing from. Figures why you won't teach me."

"Family tradition. We don't share those, remember, Blaise?"

"But I am family."

"You're a second cousin, Blaise."

"So, that's still family."

"No, Zabini. I'm not teaching you. When we meet him you can probably ask him yourself." They continued walking until they met a small clearing that was just covered in grass. They stepped out of the trees and into it looking around.

"You'd think he'd put it here wouldn't you. It looks perfect for a home."

"Yes," he said in a thoughtful way as if he were working something out, "it does doesn't it?" he said smiling. He looked at Blaise and nodded in the direction of the clearing.

"What?" he said waving a bug away from his face. He glared at it when it came back.

"Tune in, tell me how you feel," Draco said.

Blaise turned to him eyes glinting dangerously as he swatted yet another bug. "You want to know how I feel. I'll tell you-."

"No, I don't want to hear it, Blaise. Please, just tell me what's there."

Blaise sighed. "Fine." He narrowed his eyes in concentration before relaxing them and looking straight ahead. "There," he pointed directly ahead of him. "There's someone in there." Just then someone appeared as if they were walking through a door. They turned around and shut it behind them and, as it shut, the whole house became visible. It was a comfortable looking country bungalow with a thatched roof and flowered garden. They were all standing just outside the gate.

He was an old man but not the kind that crouched whilst they walked. In all honesty he looked as healthy as the rest of them on the other side of the gate. He walked with the unmistaken pride of the Malfoy name, not so different to Draco or Lucius themselves. It was quite funny.

He reached the gate and opened it all the while smiling brightly.

"Draco," he smiled as he opened out his arms.

Draco, who had looked solemn the whole time suddenly burst out into a bright smile and more or less ran to his grandfather to hold him. "I thought you were dead," he said quietly.

"Yes, well, better in the long run wasn't it? Come on turn, let me look at you." Draco obliged him and did as he was told. "Ah, you've grown a lot since I last saw you. I grow more regretful of that every day."

Draco looked at him. "It wasn't your fault. I couldn't return your letters, I was forbidden to."

"Yes, I know. That's why I continued writing, to give you some hope. Then I realised that Osiris took longer to return them every time. I also noticed the missing foot. That's when I stopped sending them and got you a new one. I figured she needed a rest anyway."

"You mean, he didn't kill her?"

"Kill her? My grandson's owl? I dare say, have you no confidence in me at all, lad?" At this he held out his hand. Draco watched it wondering what on earth he was doing. A few seconds later, a dark coloured eagle owl flew through the trees and landed near his wrist. "She had a broken wing too," he said looking at her. "It took months before she was able to fly again," he said as he watched the reaction on Draco's face. It was pure shock and amazement. "She hunts in the forest at night and sleeps here during the day. She stayed outside until you were here though, I think she wanted to surprise you." Draco wasn't listening, he was still looking at the owl perched on his grandfather's arm that was watching him with those familiar dark brown eyes.

"She's beautiful."

"Yes, she keeps herself tidy for your return I suppose." He looked behind his grandson to the small group that stood in silence watching them. "And who are these delightful people?"

Draco turned around to face them. "Grandpa, this is Blaise, he's a very good friend of mine that you probably remember."

He nodded. "I remember him, just as big as you are, if not more. You've both outgrown me I must say."

"This is his-." He stopped wondering if he should go further. "Erm, this is his Julia, another friend of mine. This," he said pulling Ginny toward him, "Is Ginevra, Ginevra Weasley."

"Weasley?" Ginny almost flinched, waiting for a long lecture on her family name. He smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, love." She smiled and he looked at Draco. "And how does your father feel of this? Furious no doubt," he laughed jokingly.

"Lucius is in Azkaban, Grandpa." His face became solemn.

George nodded, the light in his eyes dulling a little. "I see, well come in, come in. I've had Callie fix you something to eat." He turned to go back inside.

Draco paused. "Grandma's here too?"

He continued walking. "Of course she is, how do you think I reached this age? Without her I wouldn't have lived this long. There wouldn't be anything to live for." Draco smiled and followed him in waving to the others to follow also. George opened the door and they were greeted with the sight of a very cosily decorated home that smelled delicious.

"What is that gorgeous smell?" Blaise commented as he walked through the door. "Is that… garlic bread?"

George turned to him and almost laughed. He looked at Draco. "Still got that good nose has he?"

Draco laughed. "You have no idea. You really have no idea of the things he knows about food."

"Got that from her no doubt." He pointed with his thumb behind him. Draco assumed he was pointing to his wife.

"Is that my little Draco I hear?" they all heard coming from around a corner. It must have been the kitchen as it was where the smell was coming from. Draco smiled.

"Yes Callie it is," George commented rolling his eyes.

There were various noises coming from the kitchen before she emerged removing an apron from around her waist and smiled brightly as she discarded it and looked at the range of men before her and choosing Draco to squeeze the life out of. "Oh, my sweet grandchild, how you've grown!" she said.

"Erm, thanks Grandma," he said through a constricted airway. He peered at his grandfather. _'I can't breathe,'_ he mouthed.

"Callie, you're killing the boy, let him go."

"I'm just happy to see him, aren't you?" she argued as she loosened her grip. She didn't let him go though. "I haven't seen him in forever and you don't want me to be excited?"

"By all means Callisto, be excited. Scream to the top of your lungs for all your excitement, just don't crush his in the process," he reasoned.

She rolled her eyes and held her grandson's hands to look at him better. "He has your eyes. They didn't change as he grew older. He got that from you too," she said lovingly.

"He's changed more than you know Callie," he said eyeing his grandson. Draco watched him warily wondering what exactly it was he had to tell him. "And he has Lucius' eyes." He looked away.

She gasped suddenly at a new subject. "Where is he? Is he alright?" she said with the same loving yet worried tone that Mrs. Weasley sports. Ginny almost smiled at how alike they were. It was almost unbelievable that these people were Lucius Malfoy's parents.

"He's -," Draco began about to give his grandmother the bad news.

"Fine. He's fine." George looked at Draco and gave him a look not to continue.

Her smile continued. "Oh, well as long as he's safe that's alright with me."

Draco nodded a little and looked to the ground. "Yes, grandma. He's erm… he's locked up tight."

She touched his face and then ran her eyes over the others in the room. She studied the dark haired man curiously. "You," she said. "I know you." She narrowed her eyes surveying his features.

"It's Blaise, ma'am. Blaise Zabini."

She exhaled a gasp. "No! It can't be?" She moved in front of him and looked him up and down with wonder. "Not this tall, handsome man before me. This man cannot be the small boy I knew, it's impossible."

Both Draco and his Grandfather rolled their eyes dramatically.

Blaise nodded with a slight blush. "It is, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Oh, come here." She pulled him to her and gave him the same bone crushing hug she had given her own grandson. "It's lovely to see you dear. It's been so long. Are you hungry?" Blaise's eyes lit up.

"You cooked?"

"Of course I did, what, you expect him to cook meals? I'd prefer the house to still be standing by the time I eat thank you." She took his hand and led him to the kitchen. Ginny and Julia followed them.

Draco turned to his Grandpa. "You said, in your letter, that you had something to tell me."

He nodded and went into a small room with a desk in the middle and shelves that decorated the walls with books. He went to a drawer and took out a piece of parchment. It had been folded three times along its width and had a seal stamped with a coat of arms.

He recognized the coat of arms.

"It was sent to me yesterday. It took me by a great surprise. One because you were still alive and two because of the nature of it. I knew you always had a certain strand of your father in you but I had no idea it would go this far. Assassination, Draco, this is your profession? Whatever happened to your dreams, you still have them don't you? You always had your dreams when you were here, at least until your father came for you."

He looked up at him. "I chose what I chose because the situation called for it, Grandpa. It had nothing to with a change of dreams or my father. He was nowhere to be seen by the time I became what I am. Not that it didn't come right back to bite me in the arse."

"Interesting. What happened?"

"Ginny."

"Who?'

"Ginevra, she happened. She's my mark, Grandpa. I was supposed to kill her three days ago. I guess since I haven't delivered they are going to me and every family member I have." He read through the letter. "Wait, this is addressed to my father."

"That's exactly why I didn't want to tell Callie anything. I wondered why it was sent to me, Mr. Malfoy. I now realise that, since the two other actual Mr. Malfoys are unreachable, the owl came to the next best thing." He raised an eyebrow.

"Boys," Callie said from the door, "Lunch is ready."

George turned to her with a smile. "Be right there."

----

Leveret's secretary ran into his office panting. "We've found her sir. She's still in England." He stopped to catch a few breaths and swallowed hard.

"Good, find her and make sure that they get the message. Send one of our best to track her down and make sure it's done. I want no mistakes. Something is going on with them and I want to know what it is."

"Yes sir." He turned around and left the office on his mission.

----

"Are you staying?" Callie asked her grandson as they walked out to the river. It was a beautiful day, made even more so by her special visitors. She couldn't tell how happy she was but she was sure it could show as she hadn't stopped smiling all day.

"Staying? No I don't think we can, grandma. There's too much to do and I doubt we have enough time as it is." He stopped as they neared Avon River. He looked out over the bank and sighed as he remembered the small parts of his childhood he had spent there. "I missed it here, you don't know how many times I use to want to run away and find you and George."

"Now, don't lose your manners, Draco. His name is Grandpa to you."

Draco smiled. "I miss that too," he laughed quietly.

"Oh," she said sadly. She pulled him toward her and hugged him tightly. "We missed you too, love. Don't worry though, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of you in the future," she said pulling away. She looked at him pointedly. "Aren't we?" she said a little more forcefully.

"Erm, yeah of course," he said hiding his surprise. Her look softened again as he replied.

"Sorry to interrupt," they heard behind them. They turned around. George was calling them from the house. "But we have a slight situation here."

Draco frowned and looked at Callie who immediately did the same. They both hurried back.

"What's going on?" he asked as they entered through the back door.

Blaise got up. Draco watched him carefully, he looked a lot more stressed than usual. "Julia's gone."

"What?" he said frowning.

"Osiris started acting strange and flew out the window. Julia said she could feel… something, I don't know what it was." He sighed frustrated. "She just ran out," he said as if he couldn't believe she could do it. "I followed her but I lost her."

"You can't sense her?"

"That's the thing," he continued as if it were obvious, "I can't - sense - anything." He sat back down and raked his hands through his hair. "I don't know where she is, Draco, and I'm getting worried because she's not answering me."

"Okay, erm... well do you have anything of hers; perhaps we can schrye for her."

"I don't have anything. Draco I have to find her."

"I'm sure she's fine."

"We don't know that, Draco. I don't know it for sure." Draco surveyed his friend. Blaise had been born with his gifts and had only discovered them when he was seventeen. After training with them, using them and having them at his advantage for so many years, to just lose them for no apparent reason when he really needed them, it must be hell on him. "I can't fell her anymore and," he said looking at him, "usually when I can't, there's nothing there to feel."

Callie sat down next to him. "Blaise, dear, don't work yourself up about this. I'm sure she's fine, maybe…" she said thinking of a logical solution. "You know maybe you just can't sense her because she's too far away," Callie tried as she rubbed his back. "Can you sense people that are too far away?"

Blaise calmed down a little. He paused as he thought. "No," he sniffed.

"There, you see?" she said smiling. "That's probably all there is to it."

"I guess." Draco watched him in concern. Blaise looked up at him and stood up. "We have to go out there and find her."

Draco nodded. "Right behind you."


	18. Chapter 18

A/N Something terrible happens…

Chapter Seventeen

Breaking All the Rules

**Good Things Never Last**

Julia continued to run through the dense forest. She had been running for little under a half hour trying to find Osiris when she had seen her sitting on a high branch. She had found it strange that she would stop there especially sensing the mood she was in. The second Osiris had started acting weird by flapping her wings and squawking in a high pitch, she had tuned in and felt a presence in the woods. Blaise had tried but couldn't feel anything and Julia's interest had peaked considerably. If she had known what she would find, she would never have left at all.

She had run full on into a forest that she had no knowledge of, after a bird that was acting strange. In hindsight she had been quite silly but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Now she was lost and running from a man that she had bumped into a little while earlier, had frightened the life out of her and told her that she had to come with him.

He didn't seem to even know who she was, but she knew who he was the second he had taken out the chain around his neck with the amulet of the island on it. She knew what he was because she had one too. She knew what he was there for and she wasn't going to just go with him without a fight. So she ran in the other direction, the direction she had come from. Hopefully it was the direction back to the house

She continued through the dense mass of bushes, thanking Merlin for those training sessions on the island and the fact that it too was densely populated with greenery among other things, and dodging the trunks of tall trees that seemed to be popping up out of nowhere all the while trying to find the house.

But the trees just kept on coming and she was sure she hadn't gone this far away.

She took another look back to see if he was still following her. She couldn't sense anything and she definitely couldn't see anything so she slowed down a little still looking behind her. She then bent over holding her knees for support as she breathed heavily seeing each breath escape with a slight steam. It still fascinated her how that happened, she hadn't seen it in seven years, let alone felt the cold. It was refreshing as if she had entered a whole new world that she hadn't discovered. And this time she had someone to share it with.

She smiled as she remembered him. Blaise would be looking for her, she knew it but if he said he couldn't feel anything… She looked around and doubted that was an accident anymore. It was well known the level of power he had and no marker would dare to go against him, no matter how good they were.

She stood up stretching out her back and looked around. When she faced forward again she saw the marker that was after her. She gasped and turned to run in the other direction but when she turned he was standing there too. She had nowhere to run anymore.

----

Ginny, Draco and Blaise walked through the forest searching for Julia and literally turning over every rock in the process. "I just don't understand how you can't sense her, are you sure you're doing it right?" Draco sighed getting frustrated.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Draco, I've been doing this for a while okay? I think I know how to do it by now." He swatted away a bug that had been buzzing around him. Strange, he hadn't heard it buzzing around him.

Ginny turned around from in the front of the other two. "Will you both stop arguing, you're just making things worse. Focus on finding her and then, when we do, you can argue all you want."

They both went silent and continued walking behind her. "Remind me again why you're here," Draco said.

Ginny replied without turning around. "Because neither Blaise nor you can use magic and, as I'm the one who schryed, I get to come along."

Blaise sighed and continued looking around for any sign of Julia. She couldn't have gone this far. He squinted to see into the distance, not that it helped. He saw, far away through a set of trees, leaves rustling in the wind. He frowned then, wondering why there was wind blowing but he couldn't feel anything. When they had arrived, there was at least a slight breeze. He stood on the spot and looked around furrowing his eyebrows.

Draco noticed his behaviour. "What is it? Can you finally feel something?"

Blaise shook his head more in wonder than as an answer. "Draco, can you hear anything?"

"What, you mean anything suspicious?"

"No, I mean anything, anything at all."

"Well, I can hear the birds, and the annoying buzz of bugs. Besides that, I also notice the wind has abandoned us to blow somewhere else. For winter, it's bloody hot you know."

Blaise nodded his agreement and then went back to the earlier part of his rant. "You can hear birds and insects?"

Draco raise his eyebrows to the most bizarre question he had ever heard escape Blaise's mouth. "Er, yeah?" he said questioningly wondering if it were the right thing to say.

Ginny watched Blaise suspiciously. "Blaise, what do_ you_ hear?"

"I can't hear anything, like someone has cast a silencing spell on the whole place." In the corner of his eye he saw the distant leaves on the trees rustling again. "I can see the wind blowing over there but it doesn't seem to want to come over here, like it's stuck."

Draco and Ginny looked to where Blaise was pointing. When they cast their eyes over, they moved forward to take a closer look. Ginny continued watching but Draco turned back to face Blaise with a questioning look on his face, and then to his surroundings.

"Blaise," he said warily.

"What?"

"There's nothing moving. No wind, just sounds." He picked up a handful of leaves on the ground and held them. Blaise watched them in his palm. Draco blew them off his palm but they both stood in silence when they wouldn't move. "Nothing is moving, like they've been made to be inactive by nature."

Blaise looked again to where the wind seemed to keep still thinking many things until one thought kept repeating in his head.

_Nature being put on hold. Put on hold, kept from moving. Barriers. Shields._

Suddenly, the transparent barrier of wind rippled and started to move toward them. He looked along it and further down the depths of the trees, the wave was coming at him from all around as if he were in a bubble made to keep him away from everything else. It sped up, faster and faster and he braced himself as it smashed into him. Loud noises and emotions collide into him physically and mentally and he almost screamed at the pressure of it bombarding him all at once. When he couldn't take it anymore, Blaise fell to his knees.

"Is it me, or has it just gotten a little colder?" Draco said and Ginny nodded. When they heard a noise behind them, they turned to see Blaise kneeling on the ground.

"Blaise? Blaise, are you alright?" It was rather a stupid question as it was obvious that he wasn't but he had to say something. Blaise got to his feet gingerly with their help and swayed a little on the spot as he refocused his eyes. The sounds of the forest blared in his ears. It hurt like hell as if he hadn't used his ears in decades. He covered them with his hands hoping it would go away. The noise calmed down and quieted until it resumed its normal octaves.

He stood up straight and drank in everything steadily. He could feel everything and anything that came his way. It felt good, and for the first time in hours he felt comfortable with his surroundings, he closed his eyes in contentment as everything fell in sync. Then he frowned. Something else was filling his system.

Fear, and lots of it.

It was her, he knew it had to be her which meant that something had been keeping him from finding her. He remembered how the barrier that he was able to see, though it was hardly noticeable if he hadn't been looking so furiously, had surrounded him and only he seemed to be affected by it as neither Ginny nor Draco seemed to understand. It was keeping him away from her and only one place knew how to keep an empath away from finding something as it was very useful when it came to end of school exams. For both theory and practicals. The professor seemed to favour them for practicals than theory to test an empath's reflexes.

"A shield," he said tiredly. That wave had taken a lot out of him.

Both Draco and Ginny frowned. "A what?"

"It was a shield. That's why I couldn't feel anything. Whoever it was just dropped it. It's taught at La Isla." He turned to them. "It's one of ours." He watched Draco's reaction as a solemn understanding flashed on his face. "They're after her and they didn't want me to find her. She's been marked." He looked back out into the forest. "Now it's down and everything came at me at once," he said shaking his head. He looked at Draco and smiled. "Even I'm not that good." Draco smiled and rolled his eyes. "This must mean that he wants me to come to him now, he thinks he has an advantage." He looked pointedly in one direction and narrowed his eyes. Eventually Draco did the same as if it would help him understand why he was doing it.

"An advantage like what?" he said following his line of sight.

Blaise smiled still searching, and then his face turned serious. "We'll see," he said quietly. Draco jumped when Blaise suddenly said, "This way." He then started running in the same direction he had been staring.

Promptly, Ginny and Draco followed him skipping over bushes and dodging trees until they came to a wide clearing near the edge of a cliff. In the centre of it was Julia. She was being held around her neck by a man dressed in black, the standard uniform that neither Blaise, Draco nor any other marker who had been at it for at least three months thought much of and therefore never wore, which meant only one thing. He was a newbie.

But, newbie or not, he was strong.

"Let her go," Blaise said holding out his wand to the man. Draco almost winced at the look he was giving him.

The man looked at the concentration on Blaise's face before letting his eyes travel to his wand. He smirked. "You can't kill me that way, you've been tagged, Alpha - 36-58." He pulled his arm around her neck tighter.

Blaise stopped and stood up straight. Was that Draco's number he just called? He watched him in confusion. "Huh?" he said turning to Draco. Draco just shrugged.

"Go with it, it's an advantage at least. Very impressive of them to do that though." Blaise nodded and then turned his attention back to the man.

"What do you want?"

"I don't want anything," he said arrogantly. "I'm here to give you a message from Leveret. Deliver the body in two days or else." He ignored Julia's attempts to wriggle out of his arm.

Blaise raised an eyebrow. He had always wondered what that or else stood for. "Or else what?" he said in a very 'rolled eyes,' way.

The man seemed to pause, obviously he didn't know either. "Or else your fate is tied with hers." He pulled his arm tighter again and Julia winced. His wand was at her throat and the tighter he pulled the harder it pressed and the more it hurt. She looked at Blaise.

Blaise locked eyes with her making a silent promise he'd get her out if it. She nodded discreetly. "Let her go," Blaise warned.

The man stepped back with every step Blaise took toward them and he edged more to the end of the cliff. He almost stumbled over the edge as he stepped back some more.

"Could he just kill him already?" Draco said under his breath winning a hard nudge from Ginny beside him. "What? The kid is obviously new and doesn't know the first thing about taking a captive."

"Will you stop this, it's serious."

"Fine, but if it were me, she'd be dead already."

"Draco!" she whispered harshly. They continued watching the spectacle before them.

"Just let her go," Blaise said edging forward some more. "Let her go and I won't kill you."

The man watched him as if that were the most bizarre statement he had ever heard. He almost laughed. Was it not him with the advantage, so why was he making threats? "Stand back A36-58," he warned pulling Julia tighter to him. "There is another part of the message I have to give you."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Leveret knows you were on La Isla." Blaise paused and looked at Draco. They exchanged looks knowing what each other was thinking. They had both thought this was something to do with the island. The professor was always very possessive of his teachers and students. They hadn't known the Company got wind of it. How would they have known? "He also knows that you took with you," he said turning his head to the woman in his arms, "something that should not have been taken, whether they walked out by themselves or not. We can trace every member of our group and we know where you are at all times."

Draco furrowed his eyebrows at that statement in thought. If that were true, wouldn't they have tracked him a long time ago?

"The message we send you is that no one leaves La Isla without discharge." He yanked Julia by her hair exposing her throat. She grabbed his hand to stop him from pulling too hard, it hurt enough as it is. As she reached up she lost her footing and ended up leaning back against him. The man obliged and held her firmly in front of him, his hand still secured in her hair. "And those that do must pay with what they agreed to pay when they signed their contracts." He yanked her head back more causing her to scream and yelled, "_Machaera!_" then slid his wand across her throat before pulling her back and off the cliff.

Blaise stood still for a moment in silence as he saw Julia disappear off the side of the cliff. "Julia!" Blaise yelled as he suddenly ran forward jumping off the cliff after her and pushed the man to fall with him. The man screamed to the top of his lungs while Blaise was looking directly at Julia. Seeing that she was about to hit the ground, he almost willed himself to fall faster feeling the cold air blasting past his skin as he plummeted after her. He knew he wouldn't reach her in time and apparated instead standing directly below her as she fell and then apparated back to the top as the man fell beside him and crushed to the ground.

Draco and Ginny stood at the top completely surprised to see Blaise do this, especially Draco who had always thought that Blaise was afraid of heights. _Then again, love makes you do crazy things, _he thought as he looked at Ginny.

They ran to the edge of the cliff to see them all falling and they saw Blaise disappear only to hear the loud crack behind them as he apparated to the top. They turned around to see him holding Julia in his arms. Blood stained them both. On her, flowing down her chest over the chain around her neck and onto her white blouse which made it all the more heart-wrenchingly painful to watch and it had even run to Blaise as it stained his hands and the front of his shirt. It was everywhere and it was still pumping out of her neck.

"Oh shit," Draco said as he realised with apprehension what was about to happen.

Blaise walked toward them a few paces and swallowed hard as he lay Julia down on the ground and kneeled beside her. When he spoke it was quiet and he didn't look up but Draco knew he was voicing his thoughts to them. "I can't heal it," he said shakily holding back his tears. He closed his eyes and breathed to get rid of the tremor in his voice. "It's too deep," he let out in a breath.

Ginny felt the lump in her throat, she fought back her tears and the lump grew painful. "Oh god," Ginny said beneath her breath.

"Draco," he said looking up at him. "What am I going to do?" He almost sobbed as Julia squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "Oh god." He squeezed it back and shut his eyes tight. "What do I do?" Draco stood back, he had no idea what to do. There wasn't anything to do and he didn't want to be the one to say it.

Julia reached up and touched Blaise's face to make him open his eyes. When he did, she smiled again. "Hear me," she said in a croaky voice as a tear slid out the corner of her eye.

He instantly dropped his barriers and all he could feel was a pain in his throat, it throbbed harder and twice as awful at each pulsation. He shuddered as it cleared away and he could feel her as she was last night, peaceful. She was showing him that he could take the pain away. He smiled at her beneath his shaky breaths as he jerked with each suppressed cry. No matter how at peace he made her, it didn't matter because under it all he could still feel her slipping away.

He swallowed hard. "Don't leave me," he whispered as the tears fell freely. He put a hand on her face and cupped it lightly. "Please. Don't leave me now, not now," he said shaking his head. "Not now."

Ginny gripped Draco's arm and stepped behind him not wanting to look. She let her tears fall as she turned her head away and felt Draco's hand on her back.

Julia took in a shaky breath jerking as she choked and touched his face again to wipe a tear from under his eye. She smudged it with her blood but he held his hand over hers nevertheless. She smiled, "Never," she let out with her last breath watching the steam roll out of her mouth. She focused on his eyes. Then her hand went cold and relaxed.

Her eyes closed.

As they closed, Blaise bent over letting it out not caring that his face would be covered in blood. He dropped her hand and pulled her up to hold her rocking backwards and forwards and cried into her shoulder not wanting to let her go. He sat there for some time afterwards not moving and just looking out into the distance.

"Blaise," Draco said softly once Blaise had calmed down. He put a hand on his shoulder as he lay her back down. "Blaise, we have to go."

Blaise sat seemingly impassive. The only evidence of emotion was his tear stained cheeks and red eyes. "So go," he said with no tone to his voice.

Draco frowned but it soon dissolved when he saw his friend's face. "Blaise, I'm not leaving you here. They'll find you."

He scoffed. It would have been convincing if he hadn't been crying a while before. "I don't care."

"Blaise, come on." Blaise closed his eyes and sighed. Eventually, he slid one arm under Julia's knees and the other behind her neck to pick her up and stood to follow them back to the house.

----

George had been watching out his window for any signs of them. When he saw them walking slowly back with an unconscious Julia in Blaise's arms, he ran outside to see if she was alright. His worried look was slowly replaced with shock and horror and they approached even closer. "Oh good God!" George exclaimed as he saw the blood that covered the two of them. He opened the gate to let them in.

Draco looked toward the house. "Where's Grandma?"

George kept staring at Julia and the fierce gash along her neck. "She's… inside." He began to point behind him. "I'll er… I'll go get her." He ran inside and returned with her leading the way to see.

She stepped out of the door and saw her. "Merlin above! What happened?" Blaise hadn't taken his eyes off her but, when he did, he looked away from the people around him.

Draco made her take her eyes away. "I'm sorry, grandma. We may have to cancel dinner for another time."

She looked at him. "Well, where are you going?"

Ginny spoke up this time. "A place called the burrow. We have to get back now to erm… sort things out." Draco looked back to Blaise who wasn't speaking. His eyes were red and wet.

"Well use our fire, you can get back from here. It'll give me a chance to pack some things."

"What?" both George and Draco said.

Callie turned on her husband. "You think I'm leaving him to go back alone? You of all people should understand." George rolled his eyes and shook his head as he went back inside. He ushered the others inside and they stood in front the fire place as he picked up the urn from the mantel. Ginny went through first followed by Callie and George.

Draco looked at Blaise. "We'll get him for it. You know that, right?"

Blaise looked at him and then slowly nodded. "I know," he said huskily as he stepped through the connection with her in his arms. Draco followed soon after.

----

Hours after they had arrived, the house was in silence. They had all apparated just outside a muggle cemetery to bury Julia quietly and returned to the burrow hours later after saying a few words. Blaise hadn't said anything. And he still hadn't said anything when he had returned. He just sat in a chair staring at the fire and at his hands that he still hadn't washed, making odd facial expressions as if he were having a long conversation in his head. Then, suddenly, Blaise stood up and practically ran upstairs. Draco followed him closely with his eyes and finally got up to see where he was going.

He opened the just slammed door and stared Blaise down. "Where are you going?" he said as he witnessed his friend picking up everything he had brought with him.

"I'm going home."

"What?"

"I knew that something like this would happen. I have done since I left that island. She was put up as a mark the second she left. She knew it and she still came with us."

"What are you talking about?"

"I want you to do something for me." He held out his hand and let drop a thin chain. It looked so fragile like it would break at any given moment. Draco furrowed his eyebrows looking at it. He recognized the amulet; it was given to every student who had ever passed through the camp. He didn't think he'd need it so he gave it to Blaise who had seemed really interested in it.

Blaise pocketed it again and looked determinately at his friend.

----

"Blaise, where the hell are going?" Draco called as he quickly followed behind Blaise who was too busy storming away from him to answer. Blaise paused in the living room ignoring everyone in there and glared at Draco.

"I'm leaving, Malfoy, I'm going home. I don't want to be here anymore." He turned around and continued walking to the garden. The inhabitants of the living room stared at them and then at each other before getting up and following them out.

Blaise went out into the garden and put on his coat. Draco stayed by the door holding it open as he watched Blaise in the bizarre mood. "Merlin, Blaise. It wasn't your fault."

He froze in putting on his coat and paused for a while as if deciding what to do. He secured it on his shoulders. "I know that." He turned on him, the hatred in his eyes almost made Draco wince. The blood that stained his face made him look murderous. "It was yours."

This shocked him by all means. "_What_?"

Blaise came closer to him aware of the others in the kitchen. "I have been following you around making sure that you stayed out of danger. I promised it, so I kept my promise." He remembered promising to get her away from the man who killed her. She had nodded to him knowing that he would. He fought the tears back and glared at Draco. "You have done nothing else but make sure you stayed in danger. You distracted me and I lost her. I lost her Draco, I only just got her back and I… I didn't even get to say -." He paused wondering if he should carry on before deciding against it and saying something else. " – Goodbye." He backed away. "You made me break the only promise I have ever made to her. I failed her trust and it's your fault. I hate you right now," he said in a harsh whisper. Draco heard it though, it carried in the wind that blew around them giving it a soft echo and making it all the more unbearable to hear. It felt like a stab in the heart to hear him say it.

"I do not go out of my way to make sure I'm in danger."

Blaise scoffed. "What do you call her then?" he said pointing at Ginny. Ginny gasped and looked away from her family members. "The second you decided that you couldn't kill her, you put all of us in danger. The only way to get out of it is to take on Leveret himself which you aren't going to do. I am not going to follow you this time. Go on and get yourself killed if you have to but you're not killing me like you killed her."

"Blaise, you're my friend, I can't just let you leave like this-."

"Do you honestly think you have choice?" he interrupted him. "Why don't you gather some new friends? You could gather some old ones with the experience too. I seem to remember we had a lot of those." He stormed off before pausing and then turning back. Draco watched him knowingly, thinking that he had probably decided whether to come back or not. That was before it was wiped clean when Blaise threw something at him that landed in the snow. "I want nothing to do with you anymore. She was murdered, Malfoy. She's trapped somewhere and it's your fault. Take this back; it'll do you better than you know." He glared at him before walking away again and apparating.

The whole house stared at the empty space in silence.

"What was all that?" Harry asked breaking the silence.

Draco looked behind him to Ginny. She seemed to be on the brink of tears. After all, Blaise had more or less connected her to Julia being killed. "He's angry at _me_," he said looking pointedly at her. "He loved her and now she's gone and he's looking for someone to blame." He bent down to pick up the object in the snow. It was the chain that Blaise had shown him upstairs. He took one last look out at the garden before letting the door slam back into the frame.

He had no idea Blaise felt that way. He knew that his friend was liable to do anything in that kind of mood and he was partly glad that he hadn't blown up the house or something.

"I have to go home."

"What?" Ginny said standing up. "Why?"

"Well, number one, I need more clothes as I guess that staying by Blaise is not such a good idea anymore. Two, I have to get a few particulars if we're going to do what Potter says." He looked at Ron. "I just hope you all know what you're doing." He then looked at Harry. "If you do then I will be all too grateful to follow your plan."

"I know what I have to do," Ron said.

"What about Blaise?" Callie asked him. He looked at her.

"He needs to be alone for a while, grandma. He knows what he's doing, I'm sure he'll be fine after some time."

----

Leveret turned as his secretary entered the room. "What did he think of it?" he said with a slight grin. He had been waiting for the news since this morning.

The secretary seemed to pause. It was obvious that whatever he was about to say would put his employer in a bad mood. Nobody here liked to do that. "Sir, we have had no receipt for the body of Mrs. G Thomas."

Leveret narrowed his eyes. It wasn't in anger though. He had had a lot of time to think these past few days and he was sure that there was something going on but he hadn't proved it until this moment. "What is he thinking?" he wondered quietly as he turned to look out the window. The sky was bright with snow falling but it did nothing for his mood.

"Pardon Sir?"

He turned disturbed from his stupor and watched the man with curiosity. "What?" He then remembered what he was thinking of. "Oh, never mind." He waved his secretary to leave and turned back to face the window.

Something was going on. He could feel it. This was more than refusing to kill, there was more to this than he had originally thought. The Marker, who was not doing his job, had not responded to the warning he had sent. He had expected retaliation, surrender or something – anything but this silence. As he was about to stand, a dark figure at the door caught his eye and he froze watching it. He narrowed his eyes to get a better view of the man watching him with such disdain before it was wiped clean and replaced with… nothing, no expression at all.

It was then that he recognized him. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

The man walked in and stood directly opposite him. Leveret almost shrank back at the impassive man before him. He didn't know what to expect from people who didn't show emotion and he didn't like not having control of situations given that he controlled most of everything around him. "I want to end this." It was all he said.

"Why?" he asked sitting back down.

"There is too much death here. Unnecessary. I am here to help you finish it. I can get you the girl." Leveret sat back in slight shock which he refused to let show. The man in front of him sat down and stared straight at him with no emotion and no indication of dishonesty. As he went back into the light, Leveret caught a glimpse of the blood that stained his face. The man remained blank. Like he had nothing else to say but those few words.

Then again… Blaise Zabini was always a man of few words.

---

A/N: oh dear……. REVIEW!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Eighteen

Breaking All the Rules

**The Enemy…**

"What is it exactly that you want?" he asked the passive man before him who had yet to show a single emotion. It was quite admirable actually. That considering he had just had his best friend's probable girlfriend killed, he was taking it pretty well as far as Leveret was concerned.

"I want him to pay. He got a very dear _friend_ of mine killed and the only way to get him back for it is to take something dear away from him too."

"And what might that be?"

Blaise leaned forward on the chair he had taken the liberty of sitting on. "I can get you Thomas," he said menacingly. "I can get her and I can kill her before he even blinks."

"Really?" he said intrigued. "What makes you think that you can do that? He certainly wasn't able to do it, was he?"

Blaise almost laughed. It was the first sign of emotion he had shown since he entered the room. "I'm not the one in love with her am I?" he said coldly.

Leveret frowned. _In love with her? _Had he heard that right? _Wasn't he meant to be in a relationship with the teacher? _He suddenly had a revelation. _No wonder he hasn't fought back yet._ "He's protecting her, that's it isn't it?" Blaise nodded and looked around the room at the pictures on the wall as Leveret continued thinking. There were some dated photographs there. Even some Tudor houses in London by a river. One of them he was standing in front of with his family and waving. He frowned.

_He's a wizard? Well look at that, never had a clue. _

_He didn't care about the teacher. _Leveret sighed. He had wasted his time after all. At least he got his wish, he finally found out what the hell was wrong with the damn man. Stupid emotions. He sighed once more at his wasted attempt of salvaging a good marker and turned his attention back to the one in front of him.

Not all was lost after all.

----

Ginny knocked quietly on her brother's door and opened it slowly. She smiled warmly as he stood in the suit he had spent an hour looking for. She approached him and looked him over.

She nodded. "Very nice," she smiled.

"Thanks," he said returning the gesture. He narrowed his eyes at her far away look. "Are you alright?"

Her gaze snapped to his eyes. "Me? Yeah," she said waving a hand casually. She took a seat on his bed.

"You don't look it. I guess being married takes more out of you than it should, huh?"

"Oh Ron, don't start. I've had it from Harry, mum and Hermione of all people. I don't need it from you. Can you just be the brother that takes my side like you always were?" She laughed at his crooked smile. "I have missed this place so much. I spent a long time convinced that it didn't exist. He took away a part of me and made me believe I was alone here."

"Yeah and then you ran into Malfoy. One more reason to hate the bastard."

Ginny laughed. "If he hadn't driven me to Draco, I would be dead right now. Next time you want to condemn him, just remember that, Ron. Plus, for your sake and maybe perhaps a little of his own, he refuses to touch me in any way while you are around. You can silently thank him for that too." She stood up and straightened the front of his jacket. "Do you remember what to say?"

He rolled his eyes. He had had this speech from Harry, Hermione and his mum too. "Yes, Ginny. I have been trained by _Malfoy_, haven't I?" He batted her hand away from his tie. "Would you stop that?"

"Sorry, it's just that… well," she tried before just hugging him tightly. "Thanks Ron. You don't know how much this means to me." She squeezed him tighter.

"What, taking part in killing your husband?" he said offhandedly. "Well if it means that much, consider it your Christmas present. Saves buying wrapping paper and such."

She loosened her grip and kissed him on the cheek. "Well it's the best one I ever had."

"Weasley! Get down here!" Ron and Ginny looked at the door that led to the corridor to the stairs.

Ron frowned. "Is he calling me or you?"

----

Draco regarded Ron as he walked down the stairs. "Do you usually wear things like that, Weasley?"

Ron looked down at the suit Hermione had picked for him and she scanned it with her eyes. "What's wrong with it?" Hermione asked.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Nothing," he said monotonously. "Other than the fact the colour is all wrong." He turned his attention back to Ron. "Do you usually wear things like that, Weasley?" he repeated.

Ron shook his head. "Not really, on special occasions though."

Draco nodded thoughtfully. "Take it off," he said pulling out a large scroll of parchment and studying it carefully. "Get something else."

Harry frowned. "Why? It looks fine."

Draco paused with what he was doing and sighed openly before turning back to them. "Potter, bear with me here." He looked at Ron. "Weasley, your sister has a contract on her head for the fastest and deadliest mark to kill her, _and _from different companies if my memory holds. If you wanted retribution, would you take time to find the perfect suit or would you go in what you were wearing so that you would feel ready and comfortable for whatever came your way if anything went wrong?"

They all looked thoughtful. "Well, when you put it like that… Ron, go upstairs and change," Hermione said waving a casual hand. Ron nodded quickly and ran to the stairs.

As he was gone, Ginny looked at Draco. He seemed to be studying the necklace that Blaise had thrown at him as it lay on the table. It must have hurt him for Blaise to just leave like that and basically blame him for Julia's death. She edged closer to him.

"What's that?"

"It's the amulet that's given to us when we leave La Isla, we were told never to take it off once we put it on. I never put mine on to begin with. They told us that it would be better if we cast a charm on it so that it can't be removed. It was so that all markers could tell each other apart. Julia had one, Blaise has one and the one that killed Julia had one on too. I think that's why he gave it back to me." He saw the way she was looking at it. Held it up to her. "You want it?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, go on. I have no use for it right now." She took it from him as Ron emerged wearing a pair of jeans, a shirt and a pair of trainers. He held his Auror's robes in his arm and was about to put them on.

"I guessed that I would want to look as intimidating and pissed off as possible."

Draco looked contemplative and looked as if he were going to disagree before he nodded again. "Better," he said and turned back to the kitchen table. "Now, pay attention." He took out his wand and opened the large scroll to unveil a large map of the building. He touched his wand to it muttering something they couldn't quite hear. "Look here," he said ignoring their looks when the lines that drew walls around the building rose from the paper to give them a three dimensional look at the bottom slice of the building. The lobby. He pointed to the desk that rounded the length of a wall. "This is where the main secretary, Sarah, works. She is also who Leveret goes to for important files as she is the only one there with a brain." He smiled at the snorts he received. "You go to her and demand-." He focused on Ron. "Do you hear me Weasel? _Demand_ to see him." He waited for him to nod. "If you do it well enough, she may take you up there herself. She loves a man with authority." Once again he ignored the looks in the room.

"If she doesn't take you-." He ran his wand through a wide corridor and the walls rose higher as he passed along them. "Go through this corridor, it leads to the lifts-."

"What's?" Ron interrupted.

Harry answered his question. "Elevators, Ron, like in the Ministry building. They take you up to different floors."

Ron made an understanding face. "Oh."

Draco continued. "Get off at the thirtieth floor." He tapped his wand to the small square where it said 'lift,' and wrote the number thirty in the box with it. The box turned red and began to rise with the drawing, following it up numerous floors before stopping. They were now on the thirtieth floor. "As soon as you step out, just go straight. You really can't miss it." He directed his wand straight opposite the lift at the other end of the building. It took up a whole length of it. "Ready?"

Ron tore his eyes away from the map and looked at Draco. "Erm…" he shrugged a little uneasy. He didn't know it entailed so much. "Sure," he smiled weakly.

----

"So, what does a guy have to do to send messages around here?"

The woman looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Blaise frowned at the office worker and then rolled his eyes at their utter stupidity. Really, how did Leveret choose his workforce, did he pick names out of a hat? "I mean," he said slowly as if he were talking to someone who didn't speak English. He enunciated every word perfectly so they caught every syllable. "I," he said pointing to himself, "want – to – send – a – message," he concluded pointing to the parchment in his left hand. "Where," he said in the same tone gesturing a questioning pose, "would – I – do – that?" he finished and waited for the answer with excruciating patience.

The secretary watched this display and then made an understanding face that looked like a silent 'oh.' She turned and pointed toward the elevator. "Go in that thing and then press the button that says forty-one. When you get out, you go straight ahead and you'll see a plaque which says 'Communications Bay.' Just use your identification card and number to get in." She went back to the file on her desk. Blaise ran an eye over it idly reading the title. He noticed the ID card around her neck and looked at her picture.

"So what's your number?" he said in a more friendly tone.

She looked up at him. "Pardon?"

"What's your number?"

"Um…" she trailed. Blaise stood up, he didn't know she'd actually tell him. "Butterfly," she smiled.

"Butterfly? I thought they were numbers?"

"They are, but I took down the letters to the number and re-arranged letters to get butterfly. I think it's sweet, don't you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure. So, what do we actually do up there. With the messages I mean." He took in her questioning look. "I'm new," he elaborated.

"Oh, well we send messages to all our markers there. You do want to send a message to a marker right?"

No, he didn't.

"Is that how we can locate them? I have to find them first and I'm not sure if they've moved."

"Well, of course dummy." She hit his head lightly. "How else would we do it? It is called a communications bay. We can contact every marker there is, unless they don't have an amulet but, you know, what's the chance of that right?"

Blaise nodded to oblige her joke with a fake smile. His hand went to his chest as he looked toward the lift and said, "Right, of course." He looked at her again and took her hand to make her stand up. When she frowned but stood up anyway, he pulled her toward him to hug her. "Thank you for your help. Leveret would have my head if I didn't send this out." He let her go and then folded the paper up and put it in his pocket. "The fortieth floor, was it?"

She got over her smiling dazed look and stared at him in a less dreamy manner. "No, for – ty – one," she said mimicking Blaise's actions holding up four fingers on one hand and one on the other.

Blaise chose not to comment that she had it the wrong way around and therefore showed him the number one-four. He just walked toward the elevator ignoring everyone else in the room.

----

"Are you sure you don't want to do this, Harry?" Ron said fidgeting with his hands as Harry put on his Auror's robes. "I'm not sure I can act all professional when I'm not." Harry rolled his eyes as he secured his cloak. They had been standing outside of the building for a half hour and he was sure that someone must have noticed them by now.

He placed both hands on his friend's shoulders. "You're a professional Auror, Ron. You don't need to pretend. If you want, I can be like an associate or something. I wasn't planning on going in but if you think it'll calm your nerves." He saw his friend was close to hyperventilating. "Ron," he said waiting for him to look at him. "Breathe." Ron did and concentrated on the doors.

Harry looked in his robe pockets and saw some random messages he was meant to look at before he left the ministry. Oh well. "Here, take these and when you get inside give them back to me. Make it look like you're indifferent and have better things to but came there anyway.

"Where did you get that from?" he said still taking the pieces of parchment anyway.

"Years of practice I guess, making it look like you're working to get them off your back. Just give it to me when you start talking to them."

"I don't see why you can't do this."

"She's your sister, Ron. Look we've been through this before. It's more believable that you'd want to kill the bastard. He stole her away from you; he took her innocence and wasted a whole year of her life. Worse than that, he made her meet Malfoy. They are now… going out I guess is the word for it because of him. Focus on that and be angry Ron. Just be angry and everything will be fine." He patted him on the back.

Ron was near seething when Harry finished his speech. "He took her away from us didn't he Harry? I do want to kill the bastard, don't I?" With that he stormed into the buildings lobby. Harry let out a deep huff in relief that he actually got him to go inside and followed behind him. "You there," Ron said as he approached the lobby desk.

The woman behind the desk jumped but looked at him anyway. "Yes sir?" she smiled.

"Take this for me would you Harry?" he handed Harry the pages. "I want to see the owner of this establishment," he said harshly waving a casual hand around the spacious room.

"Mr. Leveret is in a meeting at the moment, would you like to make an appointment?"

"Appointment? No. I don't think you heard me…" he trailed looking at her name tag, "Sarah, is it?" he said snobbishly. Harry tried hard not to look too surprised. "I want – to see – your employer. Right now," he said almost slamming his hand on the marble desk.

Sarah jumped, as did Harry. Neither of them was expecting that. Harry noticed her worried face and took a step back for good measure. Apparently his power of pep talks hadn't died down since Quidditch in school. He tried not to smile and turned it into a fearful expression. Somehow.

The girl looked at Harry moving back and looked back to his employer. "Um, of course sir. This way." She got up out of her seat and motioned for him to follow. Ron began walking and Harry followed closely behind with his hands behind his back. Ron turned back to him making a relieved face that he was actually able to do it and smiled when Harry gave him a thumb up.

They got off at the thirtieth floor and the girl knocked on Leveret's door. She poked her head in and began speaking to the man inside. Ron took the opportunity to steal a glance to Harry showing just how nervous he was to be there in the first place. Harry looked at his friend in concern.

"_Breathe," _he mouthed. Ron nodded putting on his resolute face as the girl turned around.

"Mr. Leveret is actually free for the rest of the day. Would you like to come in now?"

Ron raised an eyebrow. "What do you think? Excuse me." He walked past her and stopped at the door. He turned to Harry who was trying very hard not to laugh at the half-hidden dreamy smile the girl was giving him. "Harry." His head snapped to Ron's direction.

"Yes… Sir?" he said adding the last part quickly.

"Wait out here for me. I'll be back in a minute." He looked around the room curtly. "Don't break anything," he added moving his hand around in a casual way.

Harry nodded raising an eyebrow. _I should be telling you the same thing_. "Yes Sir," he replied and turned to look for somewhere to sit praying that Ron was able to pull this off. He hadn't noticed the girl from downstairs following him to the seat he had found. When he turned to sit he jumped in surprise as she was a lot closer than he believed was possible. "Erm, can I help you?" he said not sure why she had to be so close in the first place.

"What's his name?"

Harry frowned. "Pardon?"

"Your boss," she said gesturing toward the door. "What's his name?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. He smiled, this was too good. Hermione was going to love this. "It's Ronald. Ronald… Granger," he smiled with sudden inspiration.

"Oh, that's a lovely name," she said dreamily.

"Mmm," he said looking around.

"Sarah!" said a voice to their side.

Sarah and Harry turned around to see a girl walking toward them with a file in her hand. Sarah smiled. "Laura! Hey, haven't seen you since… two days ago. How've you been?"

"Good, I was looking for you actually. I went all the way downstairs but you weren't there. And here you are." She caught her breath a little and then said nothing. Harry frowned in a confused way. Malfoy had tried to warn him, it was a pity he hadn't listened.

"Okay," he said slowly and looked away.

"Oh, yeah, so Leveret wants these filed but I don't know where they go. Since you handle all these kind of files, I was wondering if you could tell me."

"Oh sure, let me see." Harry just watched this display of words in silence. "Oh, this is a marker's file. They go upstairs next to the Communications Bay. It's protected though, you have to use your ID card."

"Oh that's okay, I have one…" she said lifting her hand to her chest to show her as if the girl couldn't see. She stopped and felt around her chest before looking down and seeing that it wasn't there. "Where did it go?"

----

Blaise walked along the pure white corridor staring at the plaque with small letters that said, '**Communications Bay**: **_unauthorised entry is prohibited_**.' He looked down at the slit that must have meant that he had to slide in his identification card.

"Oh dear," he said, "Looks like I do actually need that card." He fished into his pockets and pulled out the blank sheet of paper which he unfolded and took out the ID card. He looked at it in the light. "Thank you indeed… Laura," he said reading it carefully. "Thank you and your butterflies." He slid the card through the slit and keyed in the number 2-8-8-8-3-7-3-5-9. Large locks came undone and the wall began to move backwards.

_Well the wonders never cease here do they?_

When it separated from the adjacent wall and into a room, the wall stopped. He walked in and then spun around as the wall began to move back to its previous place. He looked around the immaculately white room and saw a large item on a podium surrounded by a glass case. Next to it stood a large glass screen that showed a map of the world engraved into it. The sea was clear but the countries were etched at the outlines and frosted in the centre, lightly in some areas and harder where the relief was higher. In another corner stood a large desk. It stretched out through a whole length of the room and on it stood what Blaise knew as a fax machine from Draco's apartment. He went to it and saw containers of stationery from muggle stationery to the normal quill and ink. He then noticed a drawer with a blank label.

He went to pull it out but found that it wouldn't move. He left it alone and went to investigate the large item on the podium. It was an enlarged version of the amulet that he wore. He reached to his neck to pull it out of his shirt. As he looked up at the glass case, he saw, on the glass, bore instructions.

"Speak surname first."

He looked thoughtful and thought he would test it. "Zabini." He watched as the large sheet of glass with the map on it started to move with a smaller square that continued enlarging the image every time until a map of London was visible and it stopped at the city centre where a crimson spot appeared blinking on and off. At the top left corner of the glass, writing was beginning to fill a column. He read it across.

**File Details**

**Surname: **Zabini

**Forename: ** Blaise

**Age to date:** 25

**Sex: ** Male

**Immediate Family: **None

**Time in La Isla:** 3 yrs

**Time in field: ** 4 yrs

**Mark Titles: **Miscellaneous

**Average Marks per day: **3

**Average Marks per annum: **1092

**Marks Given: ** 4368

**Marks Taken: ** 4367

**Marks killed: ** 4367

Captured: 4367

**Rank Percentage:** 100

"One hundred huh? Well look at that." He stood back from it and then said countless other names that he could remember looking at certain headings such as 'Rank Percentage' and 'Family.' His interest also peaked as he wondered what the hell 'Captured,' meant and the fact that under all the headings of that name, it was the same number as 'Marks Killed.' He noted with a smug smile that there were a scarce few whose 'Rank Percentage' was as high as his. He also noted with some concern that the only word for the names he called out under the heading of 'Immediate Family,' said, 'None.' He then called out the last name he could think of. "Malfoy," he said with some distaste and read the details but forgot what it said the second he saw the words flashing at the bottom.

**WARNING:**

**ERROR 004. AMULET NOT FOUND.**

----

"Have you seen your sister as of late?"

"No, that's why I'm here. She sent me this telling me what her bastard husband did and that she refuses to come and see me until it's all over. I'm here to make it all over."

"Well, if you sign the bottom of this form I'm sure we can get this all straightened out." Leveret handed his newest client the form to sign and waited until his signature was on the page. "So Mr. Weasley. Your reasons for wanting your mark dead are what?" he said as he prepared to write on the parchment.

Ron cocked an eyebrow and stared at him. "He's trying to kill my sister."

"And the mark's name is?"

"Girard Thomas."

Leveret looked up and saw him staring at him with a cold glare. "Really?" he said biting his lip. "Your sister wouldn't happen to be _Mrs. G Thomas_, would it?"

"Yes, it would. He signed a form just like this one a few weeks ago if I'm correct."

"Yes, I think he did." Leveret then eyed his client's uniform. Ron noticed his questioning and somewhat concerned stare and smiled at the man's discomfort. "Sorry, could I ask your profession?"

He crossed his arms. "I'm an Auror."

"Oh-."

Ron smirked. "I'm not going to report you. If that's what you're worried about forget it. As long as you kill him I couldn't care less about this place. Quite ingenious though." He nodded his approval. "For you, it must be nice to have clients for future favors. Mustn't it?"

Leveret nodded curtly and continued writing. "Indeed. Well, that's all I suppose. Would you like to take a look at the catalogue?"

"Catalogue?" Malfoy hadn't mentioned anything about a catalogue.

"Yes, to choose your marker. If you don't want to choose, we can do it for you and choose the best there is."

"Well obviously I'm going to choose the best there is so what's the point in asking?" he said coldly.

Leveret smiled. "Of course."

"Well, where is it then?"

"Oh, my mistake. Mathew!" he yelled. Ron tried his best not to jump and turned to the door when Leveret's secretary entered the room. "Bring me the catalogue." The man left and returned a few moments later with a large book.

Ron opened it as it was put in front of him. When he looked at the pages, he frowned. They were blank. "What the hell is this?" he said with a genuine confusion.

"Oh. Pick a letter." Mathew inched forward with his quill.

"What?"

"Pick a letter, sir. You can choose by using the surname of your marker."

Ron looked incredulous. "This is how I pick my Assassin? By choosing a letter?" He suddenly didn't feel so nervous anymore. He knew exactly the letter to choose. He feigned contemplation. "Erm…" he trailed looking to the ceiling. "M," he said throwing his hands in the air.

"Ah, popular choice, middle letters. Always popular." He scribbled the letter M on the first page and soon the pages filled with names and statistics of each marker known with a surname beginning with M. He fingered through the pages stopping on a few and book marking two or three pages with the highest numbers before stopping on Malfoy. He paused for a while curious to see if he could beat the insanely higher numbers of the names before him. He froze as he read the numbers.

**Surname: ** Malfoy

**Forename:** Draco

**Age to date:** 25

**Sex: ** Male

**Immediate Family: _Complications_**

**Time in La Isla:** 3 yrs

**Time in field:** 4 yrs

**Mark Titles: **Uncommon

**Average Marks per day: **2

**Average Marks per annum: **728

**Marks Given:** 2912

**Marks Taken: ** 2909

**Marks killed: ** 2908

Captured: 0

**Rank Percentage:** 99.97

Malfoy had only missed one mark and it was most likely to be Ginny. He suddenly felt very wary about his sister's choice of… well, whatever he was to her. "Him," he said pointing to his name.

Leveret glanced up removing his bored expression. The man had been looking for a long time. When his eyes settled on the name, he looked up at his client. "Erm, I'm afraid that's impossible."

"Excuse me? You just told me that I can use any mark I want. It's right there on the form too."

Leveret frowned and looked at the form. He glanced to the bottom where the infinitely small writing was scribbled. He looked up at Ron.

"I always read the fine print of what I have to sign," he said smiling knowingly.

Leveret sighed in frustration. "This marker is currently unavailable."

"Well get him. I want the best and, as far as I can see, this one is the best one."

"I'm afraid he is not going to be part of this organisation for much longer."

Ron suddenly felt very obstinate. He leaned dangerously over Leveret's desk and got a thrill when the man moved back into his chair. "Then make it – his last – assignment. I want Thomas dead. I want him to do it. Or else you don't get paid."

Leveret gulped. This was the second man in here making threats to him. "Very well. I'll make sure he gets it… somehow."

Ron stood up straight. "Good." He held out his hand and Leveret shook it. "Nice doing business with you."

----

"So how long have you been working for him then?"

Harry wondered what the hell was taking Ron so long. The first ten minutes was fine but this was crossing into an hour now and the girl was still talking about him. He had made subtle hints and even gotten up to walk around but she, annoyingly, kept following him. He was so close to yelling at her when he spotted someone walking to the lift that made him take a second glance. The dark hair and coat caught his eye as it ran to the man's feet open and billowing around him like a cloak.

"Hello? Are you listening?" she said waving her hand in front of his face to get him to pay attention.

He dodged to move away from her. In the end he just swatted them away. "Would you stop that?" he said distractedly.

She stopped abruptly. "Pardon?" she said surprised at his sudden outburst.

He snapped his gaze to her and glared. "Stop it!" he snapped. He almost felt guilty for it but she was being too annoying to care.

"How dare you speak to me like that?"

He rolled his eyes and continued looking toward the elevator. "Oh please," he said and walked toward the man who was pressing the button to the side of the lift. He ducked behind a cubicle wall and looked out the side to get a better view.

He looked just like him, if he could just get a frontal view of him to make sure.

The elevator doors opened and the man began to walk in, when suddenly he stopped and turned his head to the side slightly as if feeling Harry's gaze on him. He didn't turn around but Harry knew it had to be him. He ducked behind the cubicle wall again. The man walked in anyway and pressed the button to go down.

"What are you hiding from?" Harry jumped at Sarah's sudden appearance. He looked up at her and noticed that she was making it obvious he was hiding there. He took hold of her arm and pulled her down.

"What the hell are you doing?" he whispered angrily holding his chest.

She clambered to the floor beside him. "I just wondered why you were hiding behind this wall – Why are you whispering?" she inquired.

"Do you always ask so many questions?" he said frustrated wondering if it was safe to look again. Suddenly he stopped and turned to her. "Why are you following me?" he asked incredulous.

She shrugged. "No reason." He rolled his eyes at her and chanced a glance to see if the elevator was clear. He froze on the spot as he looked over the wall. Blaise was holding the elevator doors open and glaring directly at him knowing exactly where he was hiding. He swallowed hard and watched as Blaise smirked shaking his head before letting the doors close.

"We're leaving." Harry jumped again at Ron's voice holding his chest again. "What the hell are you doing?" he said wondering why he was hiding behind a cubicle wall with Leveret's secretary. He then looked at Harry's face. "Harry? What's wrong?"

Harry looked up at him. "I just saw Zabini."

----

"What do you mean you saw him? Why would he be there?" Draco said as he stopped pacing the living room.

Harry continued pacing. "I don't know."

"You said he was liable to do anything, what if he's swapped sides?" Ron said from the sofa.

Draco shook his head and leaned against the fireplace. "No, Blaise doesn't believe in any other side apart from his own. If he's doing this," he said and looked at Ginny. "It's for a reason." Ginny looked away and sat down at the kitchen table watching them all through the archway.

"I don't understand," Hermione said. She had been pondering the possibilities in her head for a while coming up with different conclusions but not finding that she could agree with any of them. "Harry, are you actually telling me that she was openly flirting with him?" she asked for the third time.

"Granger," Draco said clicking his fingers. "Priorities. Set them straight." Draco sat down next to Ginny. "I'll have to go home again," he said with a sigh. "If you were as vicious as Potter says you were – are you sure she was all over him?" he asked Harry himself.

Harry nodded. "And then some." Both Ginny and Hermione glared at the three men in the room.

Draco stood up. "Well I have to go and check my messages. I'll be back in a while." He walked to the living room to floo home.

The room was in silence for a while until Hermione spoke.

"Harry?" she said reaching into her bag.

"Yes 'Mione?" he said wondering why she was taking out a quill and parchment.

"Tell me exactly what this woman looked like." Ron rolled his eyes and laughed.

----

Draco stepped through his fireplace and into his own living room. He breathed in reveling in the scent of home. "Ah, I'm counting the days." He fingered a few bits and pieces around the room before settling on the fax machine. The usual littered the paper bin and he picked it up going through the same damned schedule and addresses. Then he came across a piece of parchment set apart from the usual pages. He stopped when he found it and read through the familiar writing before seeing the object, and reason for the page, stashed underneath. He smiled and walked into his bedroom to get some more of his clothes before walking back through the fireplace connection holding the papers with the parchment beneath.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Nineteen

Breaking All the Rules

…**Of Mine Enemy…**

Girard Thomas was sitting on his veranda when his wife came outside sipping at her ice-tea. She looked particularly stunning today, even more so since she had been in her own home. She had been complaining lately that she did not want to be staying in Stratford-Upon-Avon anymore. His daughter, Emma, had soon afterwards joined in her mother's pleas and begun to follow her example. It was times like these he wished he was the single father of an only son.

"Horrid weather isn't it? Thank Merlin we have the proper charms to heat the place." She sat down next to him closer to the door of the living room to get more heat.

"Yes, I suppose so. It's been raining all the time here, I wonder if we should go on a holiday."

"That would be nice, as long as it's nowhere you took that girl."

"Laurie, we have been through this before. I have not had sexual relations with that woman. She was purely business to be taken care of."

"Hmm, for a whole year. You told me."

Girard rolled his eyes. "I couldn't have her telling my secrets to the ministry could I? Could I? I'm sure you wouldn't want me behind bars in Azkaban."

"I guess not." She turned to her husband. "What didn't you want her talking about?"

"Just business matters. I don't do the right thing just once in my life and I have a witness to it," he lied easily. It had become quite a habit for him these past few years. Practice makes perfect as they say.

"Well isn't that always the story. Don't worry, love, I'm sure she's out of the picture by now."

"Indeed."

"Not that it would have mattered. If she stayed any longer I would have had to come in here and tell her to piss off."

Girard smiled. "I have missed your fiery temper. You know that?"

"Well, it's what you married me for isn't it?" she smiled. "Come on inside and don't forget to close the doors, you always forget to close the doors." She shuddered. "This rain is making me feel horrid."

"You don't need rain for that sweetheart." He followed her inside, forgetting to close the doors.

----

"So that's the receipt then?" Ron said yawning as he trod downstairs sleepily glancing first at Harry then Malfoy. It still irked him, how he was now waking up to Malfoy in his home. It was not something he would have predicted in divination but he was sure as hell it would have gained full marks.

Draco looked up momentarily to see who was talking before, once again, remembering whose house he was in. "Yeah," he said laying it down on the table. He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands before drinking out of his cup of coffee.

"What's wrong with him?" Ron asked Harry gesturing to Malfoy.

Draco eyed him over his cup before swallowing. "Him, is sitting right here. You can ask me yourself." He put the cup down on the table.

They both ignored him. It had been over a day now and Malfoy was still sitting down watching the slip of paper and sighing at every given chance. If he kept this up, they were sure Ginny would gladly take the job for him. Harry answered the question for him. "He's stressing on where to get a weapon. He usually steals one of Blaise's but as you can see – You know, I'm still having a hard time wondering why you'd use a muggle weapon when you clearly can't stand them." He ignored the screeching from Ron's chair as it scratched against the floor.

Draco held the urge to roll his eyes. And looked up at him from the cradle he had made for his head with his hands. "That's how I use to feel, Potter. I've had different lessons to learn since then." He put his head back down on the table. "You're all the same to us now."

"Us?" Ron said reaching for the milk to pour in his cereal.

Draco shook his head and laughed quietly. "Weasley, you crack me up. What other 'us' could I possibly be talking about?"

"Ah. Say no more."

The room was then filled with silence. In the end it was Ron who spoke.

"You know, it's funny."

"What is?" Harry said.

"If you were to tell me that I would eventually share a comfortable silence whilst eating breakfast with Malfoy at…" he began glancing at his watch as the clock was just too far away, "ten past two in the afternoon. I'd laugh at you or punch you then laugh at you."

"Why thank you, Weasel."

"Very welcome."

Harry chuckled. "I never thought I'd break any rules with him myself."

"Break rules?" Draco said with a feigned innocence. "Moi, breaking rules?" He shook his head profusely as he got up and put his cup in the sink. "No, I merely test their elasticity." He smiled and went upstairs to get dressed.

Ten minutes after he actually got up from sitting on his bed for a half hour, he jumped out of the shower. Draco spun fast to the door as he heard someone yelling his name.

"Malfoy, you need to see this!" Harry yelled up the stairs.

"What?" he called.

"Just get down here!"

Draco dressed quickly leaving his hair to dry and ran down the stairs to the kitchen where he realised nobody was. He turned to the living room and saw everyone standing around the fireplace in silence. He stepped toward them slowly and paused when Harry and Ron moved out of the way.

"How did you know where I was?" he asked the woman who was busy dusting off her skirt. The load of files in her hand made him frown. She was there for a reason.

Sarah, the main secretary at Leveret's unLTD looked up at him and gave a small smile. "Well, I had to do some research actually. Mr. Granger here-."

"Mr. What?" Hermione asked. She turned to Harry who had suddenly started coughing.

"Granger, that is his name," she stated as if it were fact. "He chose you as his marker and so as the main secretary I had to send you your manuscripts. After you entered your home, I traced the ashes to here." She shifted the load of manuscripts to her other arm. "Our diviners have been going through a lot to find you Mr. 36-58." She gave a mischievous smile and looked at held a playful gaze with Ginny. "They've been spitting out a few things actually," she smiled but stopped suddenly at the glare she was receiving from Draco. She straightened up and looked at him pointedly. "But nothing we can use to find you. Interesting none-the-same, though," she added cocking an eyebrow.

Ron turned to Draco. "Malfoy, I thought you said they were stupid?"

Draco rolled his eyes and looked sideways at Ron. "I said most of them. Some of them actually have brains." He gestured to Sarah, "Specimen A." Sarah smirked.

"I just had to come here to tell you that you were sent the wrong manuscript."

"They got it wrong again?"

"No, I did. I needed your location so that I could give you these." She raised the arm full of files and a file-case. "I was told to give them to you in person and make sure that they reached you." She turned to Ginny who was standing beside her brother and smiled at her. Ginny looked unsure of what to do. "I was told they may be of some use to you." Ginny frowned at the look she was giving her. Was that directed at her?

"Who?" he said looking at them.

She turned back to him. "No one you know." He went to take them from her and she waited until he got close enough to say, "Now." He looked at her wondering what she meant by it but was only met with a small devious smile.

"Are we sure we should trust someone from Leveret, Malfoy? Isn't he like the man that we don't like right now?" Ron said to him.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to trust me, Mr. Granger. I am not here to be trusted, I am here to deliver." She looked at Draco. "And I have." She inclined her head and turned to the fireplace. As she stepped into the flame she looked at Ginny one last time. "Good-day." With that she left.

Mrs. Weasley, none the more shocked than anyone else in the house, suddenly had the urge to leave the house. "Well, as interesting as that was, I need to go out for groceries. Anyone dare help me?"

"Oh, I'll come," Callie said instantly. "I love shopping of any sort."

"I think I better go along too. This… stuff is not exactly how I wanted to spend my senior years," George said as he grabbed his outdoor robes and followed them out the front door to apparate.

"What are they?" Harry asked as the door shut.

Draco sat down on the sofa and placed the files down. Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny sat down around the table watching the files as if they held some great secret and waited for him to open one. As he lifted the cover of the first file they all peered at it with interest.

"Boo!" he said suddenly. They all jumped and gasped loudly. When they settled down, they glared at him. "Well what did you want me to do? It's not like there's anything interesting. It's just… what are these?" he said as he held up photographs of Tudor houses near a river banked off with large bricks. Some others had Leveret in front of them waving with two other people.

"Let me see," Hermione said taking them. "These aren't the original. So that explains it," she said with a small empty laugh and put it back on the top of the file.

"Explains what?" Harry said picking it up for a look of his own.

"I saw those in Leveret's office. They were on the wall by his desk," Ron said looking over Harry's shoulder.

Hermione ignored him. "Well look at it, Harry. Those houses existed years and centuries ago in England. There are some of them today but not all of them are true Tudor homes."

"And…" Ron said. This must be going somewhere.

"Well look," she said taking the photograph. "It's next to the Thames River. Have you seen Tudor houses anywhere along the Thames, especially this new looking and authentic at the same time?" she prompted putting it back down. "Didn't think so. They were made like that back in the fourteenth century and later I think, I'll have to look into it to make sure though."

"Fifteenth century?" Draco said holding another photograph.

"Yes, Malfoy."

"But then, how is it that he is standing in front of it with these other people and he looks the same age? Were cameras even invented?" He turned the picture over to see small handwriting saying: _'Ira, Lionel and Lara, 1487.'_ "Look," he said showing them.

She frowned and took the second photograph. "Wizarding cameras came around in 1348, somewhere around the Black Death. Dark wizards wanted to capture all the death or something like that but it turned into merchandise, especially in the stores in Knockturn Alley before it spread to Diagon Alley." She looked up at them. "Is Leveret a Wizard, Malfoy?"

"I don't think so. He's never shown any signs of it before. Then again, I don't see him all that much. He just showed up during the war recruiting."

Harry sat forward and looked at the picture then read the date on the back. "So he's standing in front of a house that isn't there anymore in what? 1487, waving with his… family?" He shrugged. "They do look like him I guess. That means that he's like…" he trailed looking to the ceiling, "five hundred and… eighteen?"

"Well that's just from 1487 to 2005. I don't know how old he was in the picture."

"But five hundred and eighteen is a big number, Hermione," Ron chipped in. "I don't even think Dumbledore has passed that yet."

"No wizard can get past that age can they?" Draco said astonished.

"Well, no mortal can go past it either, Malfoy."

They spent the next few hours going through the texts and pictures equally as confusing as the next. Ginny kneeled and took up the file-case below to open it. When she did, she found a book in it. On the front was an embossed image of the amulet that Draco had given her yesterday after Blaise left. She took it out of her pocket and looked back and forth from it to the book. "What is this?" she said looking at Draco.

He looked over at it. "It's the catalogue," Ron said. "That's how I picked Malfoy in the first place. You never told me about a catalogue Malfoy."

"You need me to tell you how to choose out of a catalogue, Weasley?" He scoffed. "I would have thought it would be self explanatory. Once again I see my common sense has failed me with you." Ron scowled at him, something that Draco dutifully ignored as he took out the book. "But why would she give me this?"

"She didn't, Draco," Ginny said to him. "She said that someone told her to give it to you. That you'd need it sometime." He looked back at the book. "Can it do anything?"

"It has the name of every marker they have ever had in it. Leveret said he was going to take you out because you wouldn't be with the company for much longer."

"Oh he did, did he?" He smiled and put it back in the box. "Well I shall have to think about why I need that for a while." As he put it back in, he noticed a slip of parchment underneath at the base of the box. "And what's this?" he said to himself as he rested the book aside and took it out. It had a spell written on it. "It's a spell," he said louder this time.

"Let me see," Hermione said and took it from him. "Falcroft? Why on Earth is there a spell to summon him for?"

"Who is he?"

"The makers of time turners summon him whenever they create a new one. It's part of the policy. It's also why there are so few, not many want to summon him at all. I've heard he's quite irritant." She looked at the blank faces around her. "He's a time demon." She registered the oh's all round.

"Why was it in there?"

"Maybe the someone thought you would need that too."

Harry sat forward. "Cast it."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I can't do magic, Potter, get that into your head why don't you. Why don't you say it?" he said holding it out to him.

"Oh give it here." Hermione snatched it out of his outstretched hand and began to read. "_Events and actions come to pass, And those which lay within the past Bring us your maker of the passage of time. _Quite simple really, isn't it?"

Suddenly she flew back into the foot of a chair as a giant whirlwind of fire flew up from the scrap of parchment and encircled the room before landing in front of the fireplace and forming the shape of a human… of sorts, as he was a demon.

"It's about time," they heard before a human figure stepped out of the fire which then ceased to burn through Mrs. Weasley's prize carpet. "As someone, whose existence is considered lower than you and whose prime task is to see to time, you humans seem incapable of keeping it."

"Pardon me?" Draco said, the first one to regain his voice.

"Oh, no pardon me. I am Falcroft, keeper, creator and giver of time. I am infallible. I hold the conscious experience of duration, the period during which an action or event occurs. My home is the dimension representing a succession of such actions or events. I-."

"Stop, hold on. No need, we already had the Quibbler's version from Granger."

Falcroft looked at the brown haired witch and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you read about me somewhere?"

"How did you-."

"Time gets tedious. It can go on a few hours without something cocking up. I look in on a few of my subjects."

"I'm one of-." He hushed her by raising his hand.

Draco stared at her silence. "So that's how you do it," he said quietly.

He let his hand fall to his side and into a fold of his robes. "No time for that discussion." He then made a compromising face. "Even though I can make time for it but that is not why I am here."

"Why are you here?"

"Excellent question. I am here for you."

Draco frowned. "For me? What can you do for me?"

Falcroft shrugged. "What do you want of me?"

"I want to know what you can do for me."

"I can do anything you ask of me-."

Harry stopped moving his head back and forth and shook it vigorously to get rid of the dizziness. He put up his hands quickly. "Okay! I am seeing that this can take a while. We found your summoning spell and we want to know why it was there."

"Perhaps you should ask the person who sent it to you."

Draco made a gesture with his hands to prompt an answer. "And that is?"

"Why do you ask me?"

Hermione gave a knowing chuckle. "Only people who have met you know how to summon you." She took in the others' looks. "Kind of like Grimmauld place. If you know it exists and where it is, it's the only way you can find it."

"What the hell is Grimmauld place?" Draco said suddenly after the small silence.

Harry cut in before anything else managed to slip. "My home, Malfoy. That's all. It's a security measure. I'm extremely paranoid."

Draco ignored Harry's mental problems. "Look, all I want to do is my job. I have to get," he said rummaging around for the file and showed him the picture of Leveret, "this man and soon because him being alive is not something I want. Can you help me with that?"

"I am afraid not. I do not kill people. I can help with the pain though, the pain always goes with time. My properties teach you to move on with your life." Harry laughed.

"Do you find pain funny?"

"No, I've experienced it first hand enough times to know the seriousness of it. It's just something Lupin told me once."

"Ah, Remus, how is he doing? I hear he is a werewolf now," he said as if he were a friend catching up on old times.

"Yes… he is, for a while now." He removed his frown. "He told me time is the greatest teacher and the only teacher that kills all its students."

Falcroft stood up straight glaring at him as if he had had the audacity to curse at him. "I beg your pardon?" he said heatedly.

"You know, 'cos they all get old and die. Sorry, I didn't mean to taint your _properties._"

"So what are we supposed to do about Thomas?" Ron piped in as it was obvious the man couldn't help them.

"We?" Draco said.

Ron looked at him. "Yes, Malfoy, we."

"This has nothing to do with you Weasley."

"The hell it does. That man set you out to kill my sister, which, as I will think of trying to thank you for later, you didn't do. I want him to pay for it."

"He is also the man that caused Leveret to send me to kill him right back, Weasley." He held up the file with the real manuscript and waved it around for Ron to see. Ron wasn't the Weasley watching it though. The Weasley that watched it bit her lip and stared at every movement it made. When it was placed on the table she reached for it. Falcroft watched her carefully, his second sight taking over him, as he saw the chain reactions already. The files waving and the girl getting angry and leaving. It was common sense really. "You know the one that more or less ruined her life and then left her to die?" he said as if it were obvious.

Falcroft watched as Ginny got up unnoticed by everyone else in the room and went to the kitchen. She seemed to have taken those words with her judging from the look on her face.

"We're going to help whether you want it or not, she's my sister!" Ron stated as the final word in the discussion.

The arguing was still going on in the living room. "Excuse me," Falcroft put in before the room was torn apart with glares.

They both looked at him. "What?" they said.

"I just thought you would like to know that as a maker, giver and taker of time, I can see things that will happen. It seems that you have just touched someone with your actions and words. She just left."

Ron looked around the room. "Where's Ginny?"

Draco joined him and then looked at the table that Falcroft was watching intently. "Where's Thomas' Manuscript?" He then thought back to Sarah and what she said when she was there_. "I was told they may be of some use to you"_ she had said, and she was looking at Ginny when she said it. He closed his eyes and gripped the bridge of his nose. The diviners had seen interesting things. "She's taken it, hasn't she?" he said to no one in particular but Falcroft answered him anyway.

"Yes, she has."

"That means that-."

'Yes, it does."

"And she's going to-."

"Yes, she is."

"But she's not-."

"No, she will not be able to complete it. She is smarter than that. But, she may have gotten herself into something that's over her head."

"So I should-."

"Definitely, right now."

Draco stood up and apparated forgetting about his magical restrictions for the moment.

"So where the hell has he gone then?" Ron said angrily. He just lost an argument, he could sense it.

"Nowhere that you should know. You should be here. If you leave you are only going to be making work for me." He looked at him pointedly with a stare that made Ron freeze. "You don't want that."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Hermione said to distract him.

"Read something, you may then understand why that spell to summon me was placed by that book and why I was not surprised to see you."

----

Ginny appeared on the veranda and peered through the glass in the rain. It was beating heavily against the panes of the door and on her. She shuddered. It was cold, it was winter and she was catching her death. She made her way to the doors and was about to push down the handle when something grabbed it and spun her around.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"I'm getting my life back. He ruined it and I'm going to fix it."

"By doing what, killing him? Ginny, it's not that simple."

"Why not? You do it everyday."

"I was trained for it, it's different. I know how to handle these things. How do you think you'll feel afterwards? You won't feel any better." He looked at her pointedly. "You were right, it's murder. Murder never feels good."

She moved his hand from her wrist. "I can handle it." She pushed him away further onto the veranda, so much he almost fell over the railing, and pushed down on the door handles. When it clicked open she smiled.

He always forgot to lock the veranda doors.

----

When Draco regained his balance from the landing he looked into the house, the doors were open and Ginny was gone. He entered looking around and shuddered gratefully for the heat. It was late evening now. They had all spent most of the afternoon, well what was left of it after waking up at two o'clock, going through endless pieces of information and, as all things intriguing but equally confusing; the time flew by without them even noticing. He made his way to the grand staircase opposite the front doors. He heard laughing, most definitely the laughter Ginny had described that night when they… well it made no sense to think of that now. He had to find her before she did something stupid.

----

"Leveret!" Harry cried out scaring the others half to death, except for Falcroft who had seen it coming. "It's all to do with Leveret."

"And how, on earth, do you get that?" Ron said.

Harry picked up the papers and put them back into the stack they were in before it was disarrayed. "Look at this, everything to do with the company." He gestured where Girard's manuscript was. "It leads from Thomas' files to Leveret's old pictures to important things from the company itself. Whoever sent it wants us to know something about Leveret and the company."

"So the order it was given to us is important? We had to finish with Thomas first then move onto whatever it is this person wants? But we must have a reason to go after him too or… what's the point in giving it to us?"

"So, who is this person?"

Harry sat back. "I don't know. He must have something against Leveret though. Maybe he sent someone after a family member or something. We must be common enemies, we hate him and he hates him."

Hermione looked across at Falcroft who had taken to sitting on a chair and waiting for them. "He's right isn't he? Whoever gave us all this," she said gesturing to the wad of paper and folders, "and gave us your summoning charm wants us to get rid of Leveret, right?"

Falcroft, for the first time in half an hour spoke to them all. "Bad things are brewing and he is the cause of it." He began to pick at his nails. "I'd kill him if I could but I cannot break the contract."

"You're a demon you have no morals," Hermione said.

He put down his hands and sighed outright to the room. "No, but I have my dignity" he said looking at her, "and I have a reputation. The greatest thing these times afford is a spotless reputation. If I am known to break deals, I get no clients. If I get no clients, I cease to exist. If I cease to exist, time, as you know it, will too.

"But you control time."

"In a manner of speaking. I travel through it, fixing things that should not have happened. Sometimes I see what will become of a person. If something happens to them that should not and I see the potential in them to change what could happen I can give them that chance."

"By doing what?"

"I don't control time per se, I manipulate it. Time is what I am. I can give it, I can suspend it, and I can take it away. Ira Leveret, as he was, was dying." He looked at Harry. "He was not meant to die. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I was told to get him back."

"Told by who?"

He gave a look of distaste. "My superiors."

"You have superiors?"

He swung his arms out to the room. "The creators of all that is," he said watching them. When they didn't respond he gave up and let his hands drop. "You know, the you-know-what-that-be? Every person has superiors. The higher to the top you travel, the more trouble you get into. My superiors thought they were doing something good but, as it turns out, it wasn't so good after all."

Ron frowned. "What happened?"

"Ira Leveret was dying from the Plague that spread in 1346."

"But he lived in the 15th century," Hermione pointed out.

Falcroft continued as if she hadn't spoken. "He was caught. Just after some wizard's wife was having an affair with her husband's brother, he walked into the room." He stopped for a minute to ponder at the ceiling. "He was a stupid man of sorts," he said more to himself. "The woman's husband, in turn, believed Ira was with his wife and hexed him with a bad case of the Black Death. He was thirty-four years old when he caught it and, as he was a wizard, the effects did not start until a few weeks later, so my superiors had no idea. When they did find out, he had had it too long for me to just go back and relieve him. He had touched too many people, changed too many things for me to just go in and alter it. That is a lot of loose ends to tie up and…" He sat back down sighed immensely and looked at Hermione. "Even I'm not that patient. It was impossible. The only way to save his soul was for him to lose it and have it washed."

"Washed?" they said simultaneously.

"Another handy trick you have at disposal when you have _inferiors._ They're called soul washers, used for beings with a purpose. The only problem was that they had to put all others on hold for him as he was pretty far gone. It resulted in them losing a large set of souls and, as a punishment, they refused to return it to him. It was then up to me to strike a deal with them. He got back his soul in exchange for him to make up for all the souls he caused them to lose."

"What was the big thing he was supposed to do? What was his purpose?"

"He was supposed to set off a chain of events that would bring down a great evil. With the contract in place, his destiny was a little sidetracked but, as it turns out," he said looking at Harry pointedly, "he didn't fail in it after all."

Harry quickly caught on to his drift. "What?" Harry exclaimed. "But he lived in the fifteenth century!"

"And he was also destined to be a diviner. Losing his soul and having it washed ruined that. He was meant to make a prediction that became a prophecy, I think one of his descendants had it instead. He still helped with it, am I not correct? Mr. Malfoy aided you somewhat in it, no?"

Suddenly, Hermione burst out laughing. She tried to stop when everyone looked at her. "I'm sorry, just ignore me. It's just… Trelawny as Leveret's descendant, too funny." She waved away their attention and they ignored her spontaneous giggling fit.

----

Ginny walked into her old bedroom. It was still the same colour, a pale blue. She shook her head vigorously, these were not things to dwell on. She looked around the room and blinked as light flickered all around her, she caught herself when she realised what they were… what did her father call it… light blubs. They flickered with the near storm from outside. She didn't remember them being there before. She had lived in a wizarding household, illuminated by magic or candles. She frowned instantly before smiling considerably for her genius. Elekticity. She may have been an outcast in school but even she hadn't missed Harry's depthy tales to her father. Elekticity was dangerous, and the danger lay in the wilers…

She pointed to the ceiling of the room and said, "Evanesco!" and watched as the ceiling disappeared revealing a trail of wires all over the place. How on earth did muggles understand this? She frowned as she followed the set that trailed from the blub itself to the wall where it was kept it in place by a thin wiler that was secured to a wall. It was taut, so the huge chandelier looking thing must have been heavy. All the better. She got rid of the wall to find out if it led to the white square that turned it on. She narrowed her eyes looking at it, it was so thin. She couldn't imagine how such power to illuminate could be held in these small series of strings. She shrugged, turned it off and sliced through the taut wiler in the ceiling anyway. She froze the large chandelier and secured it back to the ceiling. She extended the wiler that had held it up and muttered an incantation to hook it around the white square. She stepped back to take a look at it and nodded her approval, ended the charm to bring back the wall and ceiling, and waited.

Mrs. Thomas, the real one, screamed as a girl, who looked like she had been dragged backwards through a lake, approached her coming out of the bathroom. The towel around her was her only protection. The guards had the day off and her husband was somewhere else in the house, figures.

"Turn the taps back on."

"What?" she said confused.

"The taps in the bathroom, turn them on. Turn them on high." The woman turned back to her bathroom and turned both the hot and cold tap on. The water gushed into the bath and sink. "Plug them up," she added for good caution. The woman obeyed her then turned around wondering what else she wanted. "Close the door and call him," she said. Her eyes were red and, though she was trembling from cold and indecision, her hand was as still and warning as ever.

"Who?" she said closing the door. The noise of water died considerably.

"Girard. Call him." She opened her mouth to call for her husband when a man walked into the room and she hurried to grab at her towel.

"Wait, don't call him yet. Ginny, please just think about this."

"There's nothing to think about," she said without moving.

"What the hell are you screaming for, woman-," Girard yelled after hearing screaming, he was already wearing his pajamas, which was predictable. He went to bed early every night. He stopped however, as he saw the girl he had thought was dead glaring at him dangerously between his wife and some stranger he didn't know.

"Ginevra, dear, what are you doing here?" he smiled nervously.

"I'm taking back my life by removing you from it." She gestured her wand for him to stand by his wife. She briefly let her eyes wander to the wedding rings they were both wearing, matching wedding rings. Hers hadn't matched his like that. She fought back a tear from falling.

Draco spoke up in the silence. "Ginny, he isn't worth it."

She gave an empty laugh. "Apparently, I was. Only fair to repay my gratitude."

"Ginevra, please, I was just looking out for my daughter. I didn't want her growing up knowing of the things I do."

Suddenly Ginny stiffened. "Daughter? You have a daughter?" She shook it off and focused on what she came there for. She was way beyond overreacting… in a way. "You won't have to worry about that now, will you? Avada-." Girard's eyes opened wide before he shut them tight. Ginny, however, did not finish the rest of the curse. He waited, and waited, but nothing came. All he heard was laughter.

Ginny had stopped mid way after seeing him cringe like that and couldn't help but grin at him, she was so caught up in it that she was oblivious of the strange looks she was getting. When she sobered up she glanced at them one by one. "I'm sorry, it's just… too funny. It's hilarious, that face – I've never seen him use that face – it's incredible." She noticed a shimmer of light on the ground by the bathroom and secretly glanced at it realising it was water from the bathroom running into the bedroom. _All his carpets will be ruined,_ she laughed to herself before watching them all one last time, shaking her head in a thoughtful way and then turning to leave the room.

A frown of confusion was too much of an understatement to describe the faces of the people left behind. Draco nervously smiling left the room quietly, Girard would no doubt remember his face now and the faster he got out of there the better. He ran downstairs and caught up with Ginny as she walked back out to the veranda. The rain had stopped a little and was now just pissing it down. Nevertheless, she walked calmly out into the garden and studied her old bedroom thoroughly.

"Ginny, can we go? It's raining if you hadn't noticed."

She raised her wand and muttered an incantation. "Happy now?" she said without looking at him.

Draco let go of his arms to look around as the rain beat down on an invisible barrier that surrounded them. He decided not to argue with her. He then looked up at the bedroom wondering what she was staring at. "What are you doing?"

It was then that she smiled. "You told me not to kill him."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "And?"

"Well, I'm not going to kill him."

"So why are we still here?"

She turned to him with the smile still in place. It hadn't changed at all, it unnerved him. "I'm setting off a chain reaction." Her smile continued as she turned back to the window.

Draco followed her gaze and couldn't help but think of Blaise when she said those words.

----

"What the hell did she think she was doing, coming into this house when she's not invited?" Girard's wife screamed at him as she put on her nightdress. "I'm flooing the authorities."

"No! No, you cannot do that."

She stood still, incredulous, with her hands on her hips. "Why not?"

"Just trust me. If anything can you just trust me?"

"The last time I trusted you, you said you would keep my daughter safe. Next thing I know a deranged psychopath is coming into the house to kill you! Our daughter is in this house Girard, how could you let this happen?" she sobbed as she sat on the bed.

"Look," he said as he sat down next to her and switched of the lamplight next to him. "Just get some sleep and we'll figure it out in the morning-." He paused after he took off his bedroom slippers and sank his feet into the carpet once more. "Laura, have you been walking on my carpet with wet feet?"

His wife turned over from her place on the bed. "No, I know how much you prize your beautiful carpets, Girard," she said sarcastically and turned back.

Girard turned back to the floor and saw the pool of water around his foot in the plush carpet, he followed the trail from the bed to the bathroom and exhaled a furious sigh. He switched on the lamplight and went to the bathroom opening the door. Torrents of water gushed out onto the floor as the sound of high pressured water flowed out of the taps and onto the floor.

"Merlin's hell, Laura! Do you know how much this will cost me?" he yelled.

His wife turned around and watched him from the bed as he went to the wall to switch on the chandelier to take a glimpse of how much damage she had caused.

----

Outside, Ginny smiled the same eerie smile as she muttered, "Finite Incantatum."

She could almost see the fully charged blubs of elekticity smashing to the ground.


	21. Chapter 21

People, calm down! Everything will be explained in due time...

For now, lets get back to the story okay?

---

Chapter Twenty

Breaking All the Rules

…**Is My Friend**

Draco stood stock still as he watched Ginny probe through the pantry in her mother's kitchen. He had never seen her behave like this. So indifferent and relaxed, it was a far stretch from her hot temper and typical overreaction. The whole, 'I'm going to kill Girard because he ruined my life,' thing, that was like her because it all fell into the, 'overreaction,' category. The broad smile while she killed him, not so much overreaction, more insanity.

"Where the hell did you go? Ginny, why are you soaking and – don't touch those, mum was saving them for Christmas!" Ron said as he went over and tried to fight the special biscuit tin out of her hands.

As soon as he reached her, she spun on him and pointed her wand at his throat quicker than he had a chance to breathe.

"Okay, perhaps you can have just one."

She narrowed her eyes at him before smiling cruelly and then went back on her scavenger hunt.

Ron backed away slowly. "What's wrong with her?" Hermione asked going to stand next to Draco. Harry joined them, closely followed by Ron who was rubbing at his throat.

"I don't know but I don't ever want to get between her and a snack again." Draco nodded in thought.

When he spoke it was almost as if he couldn't believe what he was saying. "She went to Thomas. She went to Thomas and confronted him."

"And?" Ron prompted. "Well, did you do it?"

Draco looked at him with an indescribable stare. "_I_ didn't do anything." He looked back at Ginny. "I didn't have to."

Ron pointed at his sister. "You're telling me she-." Draco nodded.

"Yeah, she did."

"How?"

"Ever heard of a muggle power source called electricity?"

"Yeah," Harry and Hermione said. Then Hermione gasped. "She electrocuted him?"

Just then the pantry door slammed shut and they all jumped. "_She_, has a name, you know." Ginny emerged sporting various items of food in small bags, wrappers and boxes. "You know, it's funny how you talk about me as if I'm not here," she laughed. "It's funny because _I'm actually in the room."_ She turned as another person came into the room. "Falcroft, what's up?" she said cheerfully. She ignored all other people in the room and the strange looks they were giving her.

Falcroft cocked an eyebrow at the woman before him. "I see it worked then," he said monotonously.

She smiled, "Like a charm."

"No errors, no… side effects?"

She thought for a minute, then shook her head. "No, not that I'm aware of."

"Wait," Ron said. "Wait just one minute here. What the hell are you talking about? Ginny, what is going on?"

It was then that Draco stepped forward. The weird behaviour, the somehow massive force she had to almost push him over the banister of the veranda. The direct quote that she used. The sudden case of a bottomless stomach. "She's not Ginny."

Ron frowned along with the other two in the room. "What? Of course she's Ginny. Look at her."

Draco gestured to Ginny, happily eating her way through most of the Weasley's kitchen supplies. "Yes, Weasley, _look at her_."

Ron bent down to carefully study his sister. He went over her hair, her eyes, the way she sat. Everything about her was identical. "Ginny?" he said.

She stopped eating, sighed and glared at him. "What?"

Ron stood up. "No, she seems the same to me."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Move Ron." He took Ron's place and Ginny stared at him instead.

"What am I, an artifact at a museum?" she said coldly in a tone he had never heard her use before.

He narrowed his eyes at her. She matched his stare and raised him by a scowl. "Who are you?" he said quietly.

The scowl was removed and replaced with a smirk. He looked up at Draco. "Just a friend of a nemesis." She stood up and walked around the table to stand next to Falcroft. The kitchen was now divided in people by the kitchen table alone.

"Blaise?" Draco and Harry said.

----

Leveret sat down calmly and stared point blank at the catalogue in front of him. He raised his hand casually in thought. "Are you telling me, he actually _killed_ Thomas?" He couldn't help the smile from his face. It seemed his marker was not a lost cause after all.

"Yes sir. By… electrocution."

He frowned. "Electrocution? What, he stuck him with live wires? I thought they taught them to be subtle on the island, isn't that why we trained them with muggle weaponry?" He sighed. "Isn't that what my money has been paying for?"

"Yes sir, but… you see it seems he has taken after his friend. He went creative on us sir. He rigged a live wire to fall on water while Thomas was standing in it. He even made sure that his wife wasn't hurt."

Leveret tutted and rolled his eyes. _Just like them. _"Always careful, those two."

There was a moment of silence before Matthew thought it was safe to speak. "There's more sir," he said quietly.

Leveret looked up. "More," he said incredulously. "There is more to this tale?"

His secretary nodded. "Yes sir." He shifted feet. "It seems he has also collected a soul."

This made Leveret listen. Really listen. "What?" he said in an astonished whisper. He gestured his arms around trying to find a possible answer as he thought. He came up with nothing. "How is that possible? He has never done that before. Has he?" he asked. He looked back down at the catalogue and then froze. It was true.

Matthew obviously knew what he was looking at. "We know sir, it's driving us crazy. We have our best trying to work it out but even the know-it-all diviners have nothing."

"Well try harder. I want to know how this happened and I want to know now."

----

"Yes, Malfoy?" Blaise answered as he went to sit back down.

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Back to Malfoy is it?"

Blaise looked at him before going back to eating. "For now," he said.

The look on Ron's face was indescribable. "How? How did you – are you even – ." Then something dawned on him. "Where's Ginny?" he asked with the straightest face he possessed.

Blaise gestured toward himself. "Right here."

Draco stepped forward. "So she's not-."

"Dead?" Blaise interrupted. "Merlin no," he said bluntly. "I think there's been enough _death _here for a while, don't you?" He nodded. "Besides, I don't exactly know how much longer I can hold on." He looked at Draco and smirked. "It's more of a test drive really to see what I can do with her."

"What?" he said heatedly.

Blaise laughed. "Oh please. The whole time I've been in here I'm under your watch, his watch, his watch" he said pointing at Ron and Harry. "Her mother's watch, and Weasley's watch," he said pointing at himself. "I haven't had time. Not that I would touch her anyway."

Ron, not taking it anymore, ran for him but was restrained, not by Ron or Hermione but by Blaise. His arm was outstretched in his direction and it was preventing Ron from moving.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "I may be angry right now but I don't let anger cloud by judgement." He sighed openly which probably sounded more bored than he intended with Ginny's voice to emphasise it. "If I came here as myself," he said obviously, "don't you think I'd know you'd try to hurt me?" He cast a weary glance at Draco. "Please tell me you gave me more credit than this, Malfoy."

"It's Weasley, what do you expect?" he shrugged.

"What, you're on his side now?" Ron almost shouted.

"No," Draco said as he went to stand by Ginny… or Blaise, whatever. "He's on ours."

**TWO DAYS AGO: JUST AFTER JULIA'S FUNERAL.**

_Blaise stood up and practically ran upstairs. Draco followed him closely with his eyes and finally got up to see where he was going. He followed him to the bedroom that he and Julia had slept in the night before. As he reached top step, Blaise had already entered the room and slammed the door._

_He opened the just slammed door and stared Blaise down. He was ready for a war of words with him, empath or not. For some strange reason the man wasn't talking. If he bottled it up anymore, he was going to burst at someone. It had better be him than anyone else. He knew what to expect and how to deal with it. No one should have to go through those kinds of verbal abuse unprepared. When he reached the room, though, there was no dramatic pacing; there was no punching of walls or smashing of furniture. Blaise was picking up his clothes, as if he was getting ready to leave._

"_Where are you going?" he said as he witnessed his friend picking up everything he had brought with him._

"_I'm going home," was all he said._

"_What?"_

_Blaise continued as if he were thinking of a million things a second and far to busy to register anything Draco had to say. "I knew that something like this would happen," he rambled. "I have done since I left that island. She was put up as a mark the second she left. She knew it and she still came with us." He fished in the pocket of his coat._

_Draco frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked between Blaise taking a breath._

_Then Blaise noticed his existence. "I want you to do something for me." He held out his hand and let drop a thin chain. It looked so fragile like it would break at any given moment. Draco furrowed his eyebrows looking at it. He recognized the amulet; it was given to every student who had ever passed through the camp. He didn't think he'd need it so he gave it to Blaise who had seemed really interested in it._

_Blaise pocketed it again and looked determinately at his friend._

_Draco shrugged. "Anything," he said hoping it would comfort. "But first tell me where you're going."_

_Blaise shook his head vigorously. "I can't tell you but I need you to take this." He fidgeted around with his coat. "I have to stop it all. They can't keep doing this to us, Draco. Punishing us for not doing what they said to do. They themselves said that we aren't owned. It's our fucking motto for Merlin's sake."_

_Draco sighed and closed his eyes. Here it came, the blowing of the lid. "I know that you're hurting Blaise and I cannot tell you that I know how you feel. Just don't be so rash about this."_

_Blaise nodded and put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "I'll contact you later. But don't try to find me and, if you see me, don't try to get my attention."_

_Draco had no idea what he meant but nodded anyway. He was now certain his friend had gone insane. "What are you going to do?"_

_Blaise smiled despite his former mood. "Nothing rash." Draco raised an eyebrow and followed Blaise with his eyes to the door before following him. As they reached the stairs Blaise turned around. "I can't have them knowing. It would be better if they didn't know."_

_Draco nodded following his friend's line of thinking. "Okay." As Blaise turned to go down the stairs Draco grabbed the crook of his elbow. "As I obviously won't be able to say later, be safe alright? Even if you won't be rash," he added as an afterthought._

_Blaise smiled. "That goes without saying, Malfoy." He turned to go down the stairs and they both proceeded to yelling at each other until Blaise left giving Draco the necklace he had almost forgotten to leave him with. As he couldn't just give it to him, he threw in the snow at his feet instead giving him the first clue to how he could help him when he was done with Thomas.. _

_Gather some old friends together._

"Ours," Ron said sedating himself somewhat. "As in he's good?"

"I can never be 'good,' Weasley. Look at my profession; I'm sure it will answer your question." He turned to look at Falcroft. "Can I please get this over with and go back?" Falcroft nodded.

"Back? Back where?"

"Leveret's unLtd, I work there or," he said chancing a glance at Harry, "hadn't you heard?" he smiled. Harry shifted uncertainly at having Ginny smile at him in such a cruel way.

"How did you do this?" Draco asked.

"You gave her this didn't you?" He held up the amulet that Draco had given Ginny as a gift yesterday. "Frankly I would have thought you'd have better judgement but," he smiled, "it worked out in the end. You got your mark after all, didn't you?"

Then Draco realised something. "You killed him in her body, if she remembers-."

"Oh," he laughed, "she'll remember," he nodded enthusiastically.

Draco narrowed his eyes at that. "She's going to be scarred for life with what you did." He glared at him. "It's not right; she's not like us Blaise."

"She did."

"What?"

"What she did," he corrected him. He began listing off on his fingers. "She cut the wires, she made the wife put on the tap, she ended the holding charm on the cable." He looked up from his fingers. "All I did, was provide inspiration. Creativity for a conquest long a-waited."

"She's not like you, Zabini."

He feigned fear. "Ooh, Zabini, so you're angry at me? Oh I'm shaking in her shoes." He threw down his napkin and sat back. "Ask her yourself, I'm going home." He closed his eyes.

It was then that Falcroft had to intervene. "Oh no you aren't. You didn't send them all those things to leave them in the dark. You have others coming here, they'll be here any minute."

He kept his eyes closed. "They're smart. They can figure it out by themselves. I don't even want to be here." He sensed Falcroft's retort and opened his eyes glaring at the demon before him. "I did not return for this interrogation," he said sternly cutting off any kind of conversation. He sat back again and spoke softer as he closed his eyes. "If they can't listen, I'm not talking. Goodnight." With that he was gone. Ginny blinked various times and looked around the room. One look to all of them said not to bother explaining. She knew everything that happened.

They continued as if nothing happened. "He sent us those things? He's the common enemy? So what, he's playing both sides?" Ron said but he didn't get an answer. Suddenly they saw as well as heard the fireplace flaring. They all turned to see people coming out of it. It was the people that Falcroft had said were to arrive any minute.

Ron looked at the group of people that were now following Falcroft into the kitchen. One look at the amulets around there necks made him fume. "Who the hell are they, now? Why are all these people coming into my house?" He paused when he realised no one was bothering to listen to him. "Where the hell is mum?" he said loudly when he realised there was no one that was going to back him up on this.

"Ron," Harry said. "Calm down."

"You bloody calm down if you have tens of assassins going in and out of your home like a bloody train station, Harry. When you can do that, I can too."

"Well I can do that. Calm yourself," Harry said sternly. Ron sat down and began to breathe. He looked around warily when the other four were told to sit down.

"This is Jonathan, Cole, Andrew and Paul." They sat down at the table respectively. Falcroft continued as if they had been there all the time. "Blaise Zabini has been browsing around the building and found a room in particular that was interesting. As it turns out these amulets of yours," he said holding up one from around the person sitting in front of him, "work as some sort of homing device to find you. When they couldn't find Draco Malfoy here, they went after Julia Raymond thinking you took her with you because you cared for her. When Blaise Zabini turned up angry the marker they sent thought he was you. So the man killed her to teach him a lesson. When he summoned me, we exchanged stories about what we knew. He began to ask questions on how Ira Leveret was repaying the souls to the washers. When I went to ask they told me he hasn't been repaying them."

"So why don't they just take away his soul?" Hermione asked edging closer to the kitchen table eyeing the strange men that sat there.

One of them spoke up in the silence so suddenly that it made her jump. "We can't get to him, he's grown powerful over the years because of the protection he has."

"Protection from who?" she said.

Falcroft stepped forward. "The people he's killed."

----

"Okay, now you're bordering on insane."

Falcroft shook his head. "Afraid not. Those amulets you own, they do more than just track you down. They have been taking the souls of those his assassins have been killing and storing them in the building where he resides. When the washers noticed he wasn't re-paying his debt, they went to take his soul back but found they couldn't because he was heavily protected by a magic they could not penetrate. Souls house a great deal of a person's energy, if they are magical beings they will house a great deal more and then some. After all the various classes and types of wizard and muggle he has had killed, he has become extremely powerful. It is the only reason he rarely ventures out of the building. Without the building he is nothing." He paused for them to take this all in. "Mr. Zabini found the link when he realised you were the only one who's 'Captured,' number was not the same as your number killed."

"Well that makes sense. If he can't find me, he can't get anything from me, can he?"

Falcroft waved his hand at the table and the catalogue appeared before him. "Open the catalogue and look up your name." Draco did it and read through it. Under his captured mark had the number one. "See, whether he can find you or not, he won't let any souls get away."

Draco looked up suddenly understanding something. "Julia's soul, he has it doesn't he?"

"Yes."

He laughed knowingly. "So, he's gone to take him down alone?"

"Yes. He has to; if you go you won't be able to stand it. The power alone could kill you."

"So why are you all here then?" he gestured to the rest of them. He recognized three of them, empaths from the island. He knew them. The fourth one, Paul, he did not know.

The fourth one is the one who spoke. "We're here to give him that power. There are a lot of people in that building, where he keeps them we don't know even though we have a hunch he keeps them in the walls, but if they supply energy to him he's more powerful than we think. The only way to counter it is to supply the same amount and then some. Blaise needed to find out what he could but he couldn't just waltz in and say, "I want to destroy your company can you point me in the direction of main operations so I can shut it down?" They'd kill him and send him home."

Ron didn't even want to question that comment.

"So how are you going to do it?"

Falcroft answered for them. "Like he did with Ginevra here." Ginny looked away from them.

"Enter his body?"

"No, channel."

"Channel his body?"

"Channel us," Andrew answered.

"While we channel the other markers," Cole finished. "They will have to help after what he told us."

"And what is that?" Draco said cocking an eyebrow.

"See under your 'Immediate family,' it says 'complications?'" Jonathon questioned.

"Yeah," Draco said as he scanned it. He looked back up at them. "I guess it describes my family situation quite perfectly."

"Hmm. Well, look up his."

He wrote the letter 'Z,' and scanned through the pages. "None? We saw them a few years ago."

"Three years ago, he told us. They're dead now."

Draco's mouth opened wide. "What? How?"

The men shrugged. "I don't know. See every other person there?"

He read down the columns. _None, None, None, None, None,_ filled the pages. He looked up with a frown.

"It's the same for the rest of the book. He checked already."

"He went through every name?" Hermione piped in.

"Thorough, he can't help it." Cole looked at Draco. "You are the only one who never put on his amulet. You are the only one whose family Leveret hasn't killed. You're either the smartest or luckiest person I have ever met. Can't believe I never liked you. I usually like smart people. Anyway, that's why they have to help us. He killed their families if they went to see them."

"But we were teenagers when he took us. He kept us for four years without any outside communications." Then Draco nodded knowingly. "He knew we would go back eventually."

The men opposite him nodded right back. "He knew it so well he put it in the contract," the fourth man said.

"Where?"

Jonathon laughed. "Exactly. When we signed them, did you see any fine print except for the one block of writing in the center?"

"No."

Cole leaned forward. "Neither did I, but when I got my contract it was there. So were a lot of other things."

"He can't do that! You don't add things after it's been signed, isn't that like… illegal or something? He can't get away with it."

The four of them smiled evilly. All other sin the room save Falcroft and Draco shrank back. "We know," they said. "We're prepared for that," Cole continued. "When he told us he gave us enough time to think and look up everything and gave us this place and time to meet."

"What, tonight?" Hermione asked incredulous.

They shrugged. "No time like the present."

Jonathon leaned forward this time. "We need a few things from his apartment."

----

"We can use every port key in this room." He took out a pair of gloves from his pocket. "Here," he said giving them to Ginny. "Put these on, don't want to end up somewhere on the other side of the world do you?"

She smiled and took them sliding them onto her hands. The other three reached into their pockets and did the same. "This is how we're going to get a connection with every assassin on the planet?"

Cole looked around. "Yeah, the maps give us locations and the port keys give us a link to the places on the map." He pointed to the maps that covered the walls. "It will work, if the markers are in their locations." He then proceeded to ripping them off the walls. "Forgive me Blaise, but it's for your own good."

Ginny then moved to the front of the room and peered at the huge map of the world that covered one whole wall. "Why don't we just take this one?" she said turning to them.

They all stopped and looked at her and then at the wall. Draco made a compromising face. "You continue to surprise me." She smiled and helped him take it off the wall.

"How will they all know when to help?"

Draco paused and looked at her. "Well, that's up to Granger, isn't it?"

----

"Have you had the urge to visit any of your family since you started?"

"No, there was no need from the last time I went." Hermione struggled to stay put and not listen to just one person. It was hard being part of time. He seemed to be everywhere and seeing as she had all the addresses she had to go with him. Being in these many places was getting to her though, she had no idea how the guy could stand it. She stood in place, even though the one place she was standing was about Merlin knows how many places in reality, with her eyes shut as Falcroft had told her and just listened as he spoke to them separately but all at once. It was strange, hearing all those voices but one at a time seeing as, bizarrely; they all said the same thing. In the end they didn't believe he was telling them their families were dead so, Merlin help her, he had to go back in time to show them.

All of them.

"Hermione, perhaps you should hold on to me. It would be much better for you." She nodded and did as she was told feeling a sudden grounding as she grasped a hold of his robes. He had a lot more control than she did and it was extremely less dizzying than she had felt on her own.

"_Curtain of Time and all's that concealed, open the past and its secrets reveal. Past into present, show yourself to me, as I will it, so must it be._"

They were traveling, through so many pasts but at once. She saw millions of deaths and heard torrents of screaming. It was so loud she covered her ears with the lot of them. When it went silent and she removed her hands, all she heard was, _'I'm in. What do I have to do?'_

The time was given and so was the spell that had been created in order for them to complete the task. Really Assassins were quite organized, she would never have thought it. When she felt brave enough to ask if it was all over and had received a nod as response, she braced herself for the journey back.

----

"What the hell took you so long?" Ron asked when they crossed back.

"Do you know how long this thing is?" Ginny said as she came out of the fireplace holding one end of the world map. Ron continued to stare at it as she dragged it through. One more of them came through, then another one.

"Where's Malfoy?" he asked her as she continued to walk to the other end of the room.

"He's at the other end."

"And that would be when?"

She exhaled out of breath. "A long time from now. Could you lengthen the living room, we have to fit it all in if this is going to work." She watched as he said the spell and then continued walking to the end of the room until two more and then Draco came through the fireplace.

He dusted himself off. "Took you long enough."

She sighed. "We had to make to room bigger."

He looked at her and frowned at the room's sudden increase in size. He looked as if he were about to say something. Something so much like a Malfoy to say. Ginny gave him a warning look and he decided against it.

"To easy anyway," he shrugged and proceeded to unrolling the map across the floor.

"Put on a pair of gloves," he said to Harry who then began looking around for a pair anywhere. He dug in his coat pocket eventually and emerged in the living room again with his hands covered. "Put one of these on each country here. Don't worry they're labeled."

Harry frowned but did as he was told. 'What are these for?"

"We need to channel every living marker in each of these countries. If Granger and Falcroft are doing their job with the catalogue, they'll have the location of every unknown they can find. Hopefully that will be enough to get the power we need to bring him down."

"Could Leveret really be that powerful?"

Jonathon spoke for him. "Weren't you listening before? He has millions of dead people in that building and, willfully or not, they are protecting him from being harmed. If Blaise is going against him on his own, he won't get past round one." He laughed emptily. "You think you had it bad with Voldemort, even with Malfoy's help?"

"You know about that?"

"Err, yeah?" he said obviously. "It was Voldemort and it was his first assignment, of course everyone knew." He shook his head. "The point is, Voldemort doesn't hold a Machaera luminum to Leveret, mate."

Just then Hermione and Falcroft materialized into the room. Hermione stood for a few seconds before wobbling and moving straight to a sofa.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked.

"She's just experienced being in more than… lets just say a lot of places at once. She's a little light headed. Being time, I'm used to being everywhere at once."

"Right…" He looked down at Hermione. "You okay? How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked her.

Hermione looked up at him prepared to scold him on his stupidity, that she would be fine. When she did look up she found merit in answering his question. "Which one of you is asking?" she said desperately trying to focus.

Meanwhile in the now spacious living room, the damn map from Blaise's house refused to fit along the floor.

"Well, take it outside," Harry suggested. So they did. At least it wasn't raining anymore, which was a plus compared to the painful form of rainfall it had earlier. They repeated the action of putting a port key on every country. If everything was going well in those countries, they had enough to go against Leveret. All they had to do now was wait until midnight. Draco however, was still hung up on his contract and what else could possibly have been added to it.

"When you said you _saw _your contracts, where were they?" he asked Cole.

"Sarah gave them to me; she's quite nice to you if you ask in the right way." Harry snickered but continued matching port keys to their respective countries.

"Where did she get them from?"

"From the place they keep them I guess, which I don't know 'cos I have a feeling that's what you're getting at. The only places I know in that building are the offices, the bathroom and the Comms Bay upstairs. Apparently Blaise went all Mission Impossible when he went exploring, he stole some poor girl's ID card and somehow convinced her to give him her number. It's how he found out how they find us in the first place. He said there was nothing in there but a large amulet, a glass map and a desk with a drawer that wouldn't open."

Draco stopped at that. _A drawer that wouldn't open? Why would Leveret have a drawer that he can't open? _"The Comms Bay did you say?"

"Communications. On the forty first I think he said."

"Thanks."

----

He really hoped he was doing the right thing here. He walked into the building and smiled as he passed Sarah to the elevator. Then he paused. He needed an ID card and a number. He walked back toward her only to see her holding up an ID card to his face.

"And how badly do you want this?"

"Number," he said snatching it from her hand.

She smiled. "He's going to kill you if he finds you, you know."

"That's why I want the number, now."

"7-2-5-1-8-4-9." She stared at him before tearing off the corner of a piece of paper and wrote it down. "Here, honestly you people can't do anything without me. It's like it's contagious or something."

He patted her head. "That's why you sit down here, so you don't catch it." With that he walked to the elevators and stepped inside pressing the button that said forty-one.

----

The doors opened to a pure white corridor and Draco stepped out and walked down it to stare at the plaque with small letters that said, '**Communications Bay**: **_unauthorised entry is prohibited_**.' He looked down at the slit that must have meant that he had to slide in his identification card. He did so and typed in the numbers Sarah had given to him. Large locks came undone and the wall began to move backwards.

When it separated from the adjacent wall and into a room, the wall stopped. He walked in but spun around as the wall began to move back to its previous place. He watched it go all the way in to make sure no one else came in after him and then turned back to the room. He looked around the immaculate white and saw a large item on a podium surrounded by a glass case. Next to it stood a large glass screen that showed a map of the world engraved into it. He ignored it as it was obvious to him now what it did. His interest instead peaked at the other corner where a large desk stood. It stretched out through a whole length of the room and on it stood a fax machine almost identical to the one he owned in his apartment. He went to it and saw containers of stationery from muggle stationery to the normal quill and ink. He then noticed a drawer with a blank label.

Curiosity got to him and he attempted to pull it out but found that it wouldn't move. He, unlike his friend who had gone through this same ritual, did not let it go and move on. He continued shaking wanting to know what was in it. He had come in search of the drawer that couldn't open and now he had found it he was going to open it. It was then he noticed the quill stuck in the corner of the drawer. He pulled it out. As he did, four words spread across the label.

_**SPELL NAME FOR FILE**_

So, he spelt his name.

There was a rustling inside the drawer and then a shaking. Suddenly. **_FILE FOUND _**was written into the label to replace his name. Draco went to pull out the drawer but it still wouldn't move.

"So how am I supposed to read the damn file then?" he said to himself.

**_FILE FOUND_** disappeared. It was then replaced with. **_FILE FINISHED LOADING, WRITE UNLOCK TO OPEN._** Draco smiled. It was a long file, he couldn't escape the pride. He wrote unlock and pulled out the drawer. The file took up half of it and it was too heavy to pick up. He closed the drawer going through a mental pattern. _The drawer goes with the desk, the desk…_ He pushed it. _Okay the desk doesn't move. How do I move the desk? Or can I just take the drawer?_ He pulled at the drawer again but it wouldn't open. _Shit._ He wrote unlock again and pulled. It opened thankfully, but there was no file in it. He pulled it all the way and eventually it came out of the desk like any desk drawer did.

_But will it work out of the desk?_ Only one way to find out.

"I'm not sure you want to be doing that."

Draco spun around to find Leveret watching him in contempt.

He smirked and looked at the drawer before setting his eyes back on him. "Why? So that I don't take my contract and burn it?"

"Well there is that." He snapped his fingers. Suddenly Draco found himself in Leveret's office standing by the window that stretched the length of it. He moved away for good measure and walked back to the other side, desk drawer in hand. He had thrown the quill in the drawer just in case it didn't work without that either. "I also just don't want any marks getting a hold of their files. It's terrible when they find out just how many people they've done in, because then they have to send themselves to therapy. Excruciatingly pricey, plus I haven't the time for a mark like you."

Though he was trying hard, Draco could still see Leveret trying to catch a glimpse of the amulet around his neck and the frown when he realised it wasn't there.

"Looking for something?" he said turning toward him and making it obvious he knew what Leveret was searching for.

Leveret had the grace to look embarrassed at being caught. "It has come to my attention that something has happened that never occurred before, I am merely curious."

"Oh, about what?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter. What are you planning to do with that drawer?"

Draco began to move backwards to the door. "Take it home, I have a desk in need of a good drawer. I've been missing it for weeks now, yours matches perfectly." He continued walking but stopped when he bumped into something.

Leveret smiled. "I don't think you'll be doing that. It matches mine a lot better." He was looking somewhere behind him, as if he knew something Draco didn't, which was probably true. Draco turned around to look Blaise in the eye. "Have you met my newest employee, Draco? He was a friend of yours I think, until you got some dear friend of his killed. Funny that isn't it?" Draco could see the pain still in Blaise's eyes even when it was mentioned as a passing comment. Blaise pushed past him and stalked into the room.

"We've met. He's changed though, since I last knew him. So much I don't think I know him anymore."

Blaise narrowed his eyes at him and then smirked. "Until now." Draco stopped and looked at Blaise fully registering what he had said and how it sounded so much like what Sarah had said this afternoon. "How are things with you? Having a good time with the love of your life? Sad to hear that I can't kill her because you went and killed her husband. Maybe I should go and get someone to put a mark on her so I get another go," he said as he sat down.

"After all the things I've done for you, you had better not try anything."

All Blaise did was nod curtly blandly acknowledging the comment. "What's with the drawer, decorating are we?"

"I found it lying around upstairs. It had no label; I didn't think it was very important."

"Everything here is important."

"Hmm, even the walls." Blaise furrowed his eyebrows and tried to decipher Draco's meaning behind that. All Draco did was cock an eyebrow and smile.

"I don't know what you think you're doing but you aren't going to succeed. You have walked blindly into a place where you cannot escape. A place full of enemies. I have no idea how anyone can be so stupid. Apparently it's true, the people here are contagious."

Draco looked directly from Blaise to Leveret. "Are you sure about that?" He looked at his watch. It was five to twelve. If he was going to make this work he had to get back by twelve or else this was not going to happen.

"Unmistakably sure."

"I have a right to see my own file. You have no say in telling me what I can and cannot do. You do not own me. It's in the motto, or didn't you make that?" He took a step back. "Then again you have the habit of forcing people do what you want them to. What is it you do? Oh yes, kill off their family and friends." He looked pointedly at Blaise. "Or our girlfriends." He noted Blaise's constant glare at the man before him. "I'm sure you've even killed people's pets," he said joining Blaise's glare.

Leveret didn't seem to notice. "If they were put before their jobs, yes. They were a distraction. One that was not needed anymore. Every person is expendable, especially if they are distracting my employees."

"So, just like that. Poof." He elaborated with a gesture. "Gone."

"Yes. They are nothing to me, they are noth-." Draco stood back as Blaise grabbed a hold of Leveret's head and bashed it into his desk. He then looked down as Leveret bent over and received a hex thrown at him from Blaise's hand. He hadn't seen that coming.

"Draco. I think it's time you left," he heard Blaise say. He looked up to see his arm extended to the place Leveret was bent over. The walls suddenly started shaking, the building was reacting to the hex Blaise had thrown. He nodded and left.

----

"Well?" Cole frowned as he looked at the drawer in Draco's hand. He was holding it as if it contained the greatest secrets of the universe. "What's with the drawer?" he said with a slight smile indicating he thought Draco was a bit off-side.

All Draco could think about was the shaking walls and how it felt like the whole building was going to collapse. "Long story." He swallowed hard. "You have to start now."

Cole nodded. "Alright. Put this on." He held out Draco's amulet.

"Me? I don't want to wear that. If it's capable of what you say it is, forget it."

"It won't be for long. If this works, it should fall right off." Draco took the chain and put it on feeling the clasp fuse together and disappear. He walked straight outside where he saw everyone else gathered around the map, they looked nervous.

"How long now?" Draco asked.

Jonathon looked at his watch. "Ten seconds."

"I hope this works."

"It better had. If not, Blaise is dead." They stood in silence ready to begin.

---

Ooh, the suspense! Now even if you didn't like it, for the sake of pure tradition... REVIEW


	22. Chapter 22

You guys are amazing. You really read my stuff? Even taking time to read it at work? bawls I'm So happy! sniffs and gets self under control ahem... yeah.

Well, from here on out it gets reeeeaaallllly interesting. Or at least that's what my betas and testers said. All the languages are centred and in italics and further down they're translated to english. Thanks again to all the help I got with those. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-one

Breaking All the Rules

Taking Back What Is Yours 

Leveret gingerly picked himself up from the hit he had received and glared at Blaise thoroughly. He held his head to find that it was bleeding from where Blaise has pulled his hair. It had rooted out and it hurt like hell. He had not expected such an attack from one of his best workers, but really he shouldn't have been so surprised. He knew how close Blaise was to Draco and he felt quite foolish when he didn't realise it earlier. He looked around at his office. It had shaken so much the walls had cracked and now there was gaping holes in the wall. He knew he was protected, but he had never actually been attacked before. It seemed the building had a way of protecting both itself and him as it was stripping away more of its power to give to him the more his marker attacked him.

Blaise stood as passive as ever, the only indication of feeling being the tense clenching and unclenching of his fists. He already knew that Leveret could not be affected by magic, but old fashion means of assault had to be accounted for.

"I take it that you don't work for me any longer then?" he said callously.

Blaise steadied his breathing. "I hate every fibre of your being. You have taken something away from me that I will never get back and I am here to make you pay for it." He held up his hand that was stained with blood and showed him the chunk of hair he had yanked out of his scalp. "And if I must, I will take you one piece at a time." He then threw it to the ground getting a small splatter from where the blood hit the tiled floor.

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Julia, more affectionately known to you as A57-58. You killed her. I know you did because the mark you sent after her told me your little message."

Leveret frowned. "Erm…" Leveret trailed. "Even though I have no idea what message you mean." – He still didn't understand what this had to do with anything. – "So?"

Blaise looked incredulous. "You killed her," he said as if it explained everything. "Without even a second thought, you took her away from me. I will never be able to forgive you for that. I only just got her back and you took her from me!" he screamed as he lashed out at him. The curse penetrated Leveret's field but only by so much, he knew it was coming so he was prepared for it. Blaise fell to the ground panting, the man was well protected and he knew it. He could tell from the drain of his energy and the maniacal laughter coming from Leveret's direction.

"You can't kill me. I have powerful charms on me. Not even an empath like you can break them."

His head shot up. "Like me?" he smiled. "You don't know one thing about me."

"I don't? I don't think so. You see, ever since I found you and your AWOL marker friend, I have been following your 'Careers.' _You_ intrigued me especially. Who would have known I'd find an empath in the making." He spread out his arms and casually pointed to himself. "Not me, that's for sure." He rested them at his sides and crouched to the ground. "You learned, you trained, you excelled and you passed. You passed _every_ test that we have thrown your way. I was particularly amused when you used a restricted spell in your end of school exams." He took in Blaise's expression. "Oh yes, I was there. I was watching the two of you, how different and yet how much the same you were. It was… touching in a way I cannot describe with words," he said mockingly raising one hand casually to his face. "I sent marks to the both of you in particular because I wanted to see how far you could both go when you were on your own." He stopped to look around at the shambles of his office and the singed marks on what was left of the walls and floor. "Very far it seems, as now you want to take _me_ down. And why? Because of a piece of skirt," he laughed.

Blaise grew furious. He shut his eyes and stared at the floor feeling something burning behind his eyes, in his head and his arms, running through his veins to his legs down to his feet. It burned harshly but the sting brought something with it, something far too powerful to understand. He watched as the floor began to crumple as if it were melting and split the ground open to a ragged circle. He was standing above the space, hovering in place. It was an unbelievable feeling that soared through him, filling him to the edge where it began to spill through his pores. He drank it in, the freedom of it and how it had no limits at all. He looked up dangerously at Leveret and smiled knowingly inside.

Draco had figured it out.

Leveret looked at the space below Blaise's feet and chuckled to himself. _The stupidity of this man, using all his energy to show off special effects._ "You cannot beat me alone, Blaise Zabini. Even if you had your friend with you, two would never be enough to fight this entity. It lives everyday and has fed on the lives that are taken. The magic of thousands of marks lay embedded and living in this company, this building." He paused. "In me. How do you plan on countering them all?" he said with a knowing smile.

Blaise just looked at him and finally let the smile he had inside show. Leveret looked taken back for all of a second before narrowing his eyes dangerously. Something was wrong. Blaise noticed his worried glance and stood up straight.

"What are you doing?" he asked a little fearfully. Nothing that had lost that much magical power could stand, let alone move._ Very swift for a man who had lost most of his energy in trying to kill me. Very poorly might I add._

Blaise wasn't listening to him though. Channeling so many different people at once was a little distracting. He could feel every one of them, including something else he had not felt before. It was laden in the walls, or what was left of them. He looked around at the open-air office. Each torn wall had wavering threads flowing in the wind that blew around them, like a torn shirt that was frayed at the edges. They glowed with a sparkling light and moved in the wind as if they had muscles of their own, lashing around like an angry snake.

It was as if the building was stitched together with these threads, they were woven into the brick.

Leveret came toward him, studying his movements as he looked at the torn edges of the office. He looked over there, and saw nothing but crumbling bricks. He turned on Blaise with disdain. "You cannot oppose the life of this building's existence. It is what it is made of…" Blaise heard.

He registered these few words and stared again at the angry threads and how they reacted to every move that Leveret made. He suddenly realised they weren't just threads. They were the life and soul of the building, the company. They were the life and soul of marks that had been killed. They were the life and soul of him; it's what he had been feeding on.

"You cannot counter them all. It is impossible."

He narrowed his eyes at the man circling him. "No, it's not," he said simply. "'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.' A muggle said that. Just this time, we had to make the reaction ourselves. I can counter them all." Suddenly he could hear strange words sounding in the distance. It sounded strange at first but then they became audible through the wind that carried in the night air.

_Zhertvi zlo, Ya vizivayou vas suda  
Shto be vzat' obratno zhizni, katoriye kogdata billi dorogiye  
Osvobazhdaite s svoyei turmi gde vi vse dolzhni billi zhit'  
Iditi i vizivai'te sozdatelya vashevo ada…  
_

"And how is that?"

"By using just as many to protect me." He turned to face Leveret and glared at him.

----

Falcroft stalked around the large map where in the center stood five assassins of Leveret's company. They each stood in the country of their birth chanting in their native language. He looked down at all the other portkeys and how they glowed eerily in the darkness. Harry, Hermione and Ginny stood at the edges watching them in wonder. The level of concentration portrayed on their faces was indescribable. All had their eyes closed chanting. Ginny could hear utterances of English and Spanish as she had heard their professor on La Isla speak it before as well as hearing it in passing throughout London.

Suddenly, they stopped and beams of light flung themselves all over the place. The men's eyes were still closed and their faces had relaxed somewhat but they just stood there, like nothing was happening. Ginny and the others on the outskirts of the large map save Falcroft covered their eyes to shield from the concentrated brightness that came from the portkeys on each country. Some time after, the light maneuvered around the map and connected every body and everything that stood on it. It looked like a road map that someone could have drawn to plan out their journey.

They watched it in wonder as it continued pacing its way through Jonathon to Cole, joined to some portkeys and then crossed Draco, to Paul, through numerous other portkeys and then crossed over to Andrew before joining back to Jonathon. The amulets around their necks began to rise until they were level with their owner's eyes. Each person then opened their eyes and looked around as if seeing everything for the first time.

Jonathon spoke first. "Жертви на злото, призовавам ви тук, да си възвърнете живота, който някога ви бе тъй мил. Бъдете свободни от затвора, където бяхте заключени. Елате и се противопoставете на създателя на вашия ад."

"What was that?" Cole asked him.

"I think… I think it was Bulgarian?" he said as if he couldn't believe it.

"I didn't know you could speak Bulgarian."

Jonathon looked at him pointedly. "I can't. It's working."

Andrew joined him. "Èýìáôá ôïõ êáêïý, óáò êáëþ áõôü ôï ìÝñïò, ãéá íá ðÜñåôå ðßóù ôéò æùÝò ðïõ óáò Þôáí êÜðïôå ðïëýôéìåò, Åëåõèåñùèåßôå áðï ôéò öõëáêÝò ðïõ Ýðñåðå íá äéáìÝíåôå, ÅëÜôå íá áíôéìåôùðßóåôå ôïí äçìéïõñãü ôçò êüëáóçò óáò." They all looked at him. He stared at each of them in turn. "Greek," he said astonished and then smiled. "I can speak Greek. I like this." He smiled even wider.

Those that stood on the grass looked at each other and those that stood on the map one at a time wondering if this is what was going on here, what the hell was going on with Blaise.

Draco smiled with them. "The cause, I think, is even better." He narrowed his eyes in wonder. The others soon joined him. They were seeing an office. An office they all knew well. They were seeing it clearly as if they were there. Suddenly they were looking down at hands, they followed suit where they stood but instead of seeing their own they saw someone else's. "I think, I think I'm channeling-."

Then, just as they came out of their trance, their heads shot back and their eyes closed again as they said, "_Numquam sine canes te degravere_." They saw Blaise step over to Leveret as he watched them warily and they all sneered. "_You do not own us. We are-."_

----

"- _merely the foundation to what keeps you alive_," Blaise said. He continued toward Leveret as his eyes glazed over and Leveret watched him with even more caution. Then, Leveret blinked. Blaise didn't sound like himself, more like many people speaking at once, it sounded strange and near frightening. _"We know what you are Leveret. We know what ties you to this world. We are going to sever your connection."_ Blaise's eyes returned to normal and he blinked several times still watching Leveret with loathing. The words drifted illegibly in the breeze. He closed his eyes as the wind brushed his face and he could hear them clearly. Leveret watched him strangely wondering what he was doing.

_...Ondskans offer, jag kallar er hit för att ta tillbaka  
de liv ni en gång höll så kära.  
Bli fria från de fängelser där ni ruttnade  
kom och konfrontera er skapare av Helvetet…_

Blaise smiled as he heard the words. "I may not be able to stop you Leveret, but _we_ can." The chanting continued behind his words. It sounded like they were being said right next to him, and yet far away.

"W-who's we?" Leveret stuttered.

"You don't know us?" he said over the spells being chanted softly. "Why, you discovered us didn't you? We're wounded." He glared at him. "You told us we would be free to come and go as we pleased. You said no one would be able to tell us what to do as long as we accepted the contract. You said we would be untouchable to any form of torture. You promised many things to sweeten the deal." He stopped talking and waited for Leveret to absorb everything. Understanding smoothed his features and he looked at Blaise with a look that went beyond fear.

"You're all here."

Blaise gave him a maniacal grin. "Yes, we are." He spread out hisarms."Your many years of work, what do you think?"

"Even the students?" he stuttered.

…_Victimes du Mal, je vous appelle ici  
pour reprendre les vies que par le passé vous jugiez si chères  
Soyez libérés des prisons où vous demeuriez  
Venez confronter votre créateur en Enfer…_

Blaise twitched as another spell started. "They're in there somewhere," he said dismissively.

He continued when Leveret tensed, just then his eyes glazed over again. He could feel them all watching Leveret with an intense hatred. They must have learned what had happened after he had sent them away. They bubbled to the surface and he could sense they had something to say to the man before him.

"_You told us that our families would be taken care of!" they screamed._

"_Our parents."_

"_Our brothers."_

"_Our grandparents."_

"_Our cousins."_

"_Friends."_

"_Aunts."_

"_Uncles," _they said as one.

Blaise faced him, eyes back to being his own and joined in with an addition to their list. "Our lovers… are dead."

_... Opfer des Bösen, ich rufe euch her  
Nehmt zurück eure Leben, die ihr einst so bedeutsam wähntet.  
Seid erlöst aus euren Kerkern, in denen ihr gefangen wart.  
Kommt und stellt euch dem Schöpfer eurer Hölle!…_

He walked toward him and took pleasure when Leveret moved back each time. The wispy threads lashed out with vehemence as he closed near them, some even tried to stretch out to him turning a bright shade of red as they brushed past him. They seemed disappointed when nothing happened. "You would have promised us anything and the universe to flaunt it in as long as we accepted and signed on the dotted line." Blaise was inches away from his face.

_Vittime della malvagità,_

_li convoco qui all'introito indietro le vite che una volta avete giudicato così caro.  
Sia liberato dalle vostre prigioni in cui voi tutto dovuto per abitare.  
Venga confrontare il vostro creatore del inferno_

He stood in silence just glaring at him with a thousand eyes of hatred that glazed over many times, each set watching the person before them and each one sending daggers with every glare. Suddenly, the spells stopped for a moment as the voices focused on Leveret's form. There was complete silence around him until they all chorused in his mind.

"_You lied_," he said in the multiple voices he had sported before.

…_Víctimas del mal, yo las convoco aquí  
para devolver las vidas a las que una vez se aferraron con fuerza  
Sean liberados de las prisiones en donde tuvieron que morar  
Vengan y confronten a su creador del Infierno…_

"What are you going to do?"

"_We,"_ they corrected him. Revenge, in this case, was not the work of individuals after all. In this case, it was a social event._ "We are going to show you how it feels to suffer. You will know how it feels to make the worst decision of your life ten times over. We're sending you back where you came from."_

He laughed. "You don't even know where I came from."

"_Oh, we do,"_ they said chuckling in a knowing way._ "We know more about you than you know. We also know what can destroy you."_ Leveret watched Blaise and in turn every mark he had ever met smirking at him and straightened._ "But we aren't going to do that yet. We are greatly beyond just hating you but we aren't greedy. There are others here that want a piece of you."_ With that Blaise closed his eyes and tilted his head back and began to speak softly.

"Huc victimae mali advoco, ut vitae recipatis quae quondam delexistis. Liberate de phylacis vobis ubi cunctari debuistis. Venite et creator locae infernae occedite!" they said loud enough for every thread that stuck out of the walls to brighten and become solid straight pins of light. He repeated it over and over hearing others chant it in his head along with him.

Then the building began to tremor again harder, vibrating through the ground so viciously that Leveret could have sworn it would fall apart. It didn't. Instead various shapes and sizes of colour broke out of the bricks and soared into the sky circling menacingly as if it were planning a strategy in Quidditch.

Blaise stopped chanting and looked at the sky. The colours were deceivingly beautiful as they circled high. He sensed the mixed emotions of extreme anger and the sudden happiness that the freedom brought to them. He could feel every emotion and, unlike before, it was not as overwhelming as it would have normally been. It must have been the amount of power he had at the moment that was keeping it all at bay as he sure if the power wasn't there, he would be on his hands and knees crumpled in pain. It felt refreshing to say the least. He had no idea how it would have felt if it was all directed at him though. Thank Merlin it wasn't.

Leveret had been alive for many centuries. He had survived many wars and founded a most profitable organization that killed for a living. The souls of those that were killed were stored in a building instead of being set free and he had fed on them for centuries. That was a lot of angry souls to be on the receiving end.

"_Get ready Leveret. The end is near._" The sky, filled with bright colours, began to descend upon them. They continued faster and faster.

He glanced sideways at him. "They cannot hurt me. I am protected-."

"By what?" Blaise interrupted. "By them?" he said pointing up. "I don't think so. They are not a part of this place anymore. There are thousands of them coming at you. I hope it hurts a hell of a lot because that would still be only a fraction of what you have put them through." He came dangerously close to him. "They hate you as much as we do, if that's at all possible anymore." His eyes glazed over once more. _"You had better die, Leveret." _He looked at Blaise and heard the voices of the people he had recruited as Blaise backed away with an evil smirk on his face, the kind of evil only thousands of people could conjure at once. _"If you don't, you'll have us to deal with."_

Leveret's face turned solemn as the comment distracted his gaze from the hurtling spirits approaching him rapidly. As he turned his attention to Blaise and the cruel smile on his face, they hit him full force and he was slammed against the only wall left in his office. He stopped at the wall as they had pinned him to it but the thousands upon thousands of coloured spirits ran straight through him and the wall coming out on the other side brighter than before.

With each soul that passed through him, Leveret was drained even more as they took back what belonged to them. It continued this way until he couldn't breathe anymore and when the last soul passed through him, it looked as if the final piece of life he had left was ripped away. It looked painful.

_Good,_ they all thought.

Blaise suddenly felt the great power he had leave him, he exhaled a large breath he had no idea he could hold as he swayed forward and backward a little lightheaded. He felt a little empty when it left but he let it go, he didn't need it anymore anyway. It had done all it was needed to do. Then again, the pain in his head was the only downside. He slammed up his barriers to block it all out. He looked up to the sky; he couldn't see the colours anymore, which was a shame because it wouldn't have had the same effect if he couldn't see it.

Leveret lay as a crumpled heap on the ground. He could barely move or breathe and when he did, it was more a whimper than anything.

Blaise sneered. "You're still alive," he said a little disappointed and chuckled cruelly. "You're a brave man to still be alive after that."

"It hurts, all over it hurts." He coughed heavily and blood dripped from his mouth.

"It's the least you deserve for what you've done to us," Blaise said coldly as he approached him. He heard numerous cracks and looked behind him to see Draco, Ginny and a few Aurors standing nearby. Draco had a drawer in his hand. He turned back to the man on the ground and spat on him. "I don't even want to kill you anymore. You're worthless and beneath me to even touch you." He kicked his hand away from him and stepped back. Ginny, however, stepped forward.

"I think you're disgusting." She dropped a file on the ground next to him and he read the title. It had his name on it and he opened it to see the contract he had signed when he was actually the age he still claimed to be. He froze in horror as he read each line of requirements and a voice filled his head and the air around him.

"You have failed me, Ira." Every person in the, kind of, room jumped at the loud voice. They recognized it as they had only conjured him hours before.

Ira Leveret fell back. "No, no I won't go back. I won't die, not ever."

"You have no choice. You do not fail me and run free. You offered me a deal, you have broken it. The contract must be fulfilled." The ground around his body began to burn away to a hole big enough for him to fall through. When he did, he screamed as high as he was able until his voice began to fade.

When his voice was gone and he was removed in all ways possible, they all sighed before hearing clattering sounds. They looked down to see the chains they had worn for years had broken apart and fallen to the ground.

"I'm going to miss this job," Draco said breaking the silence. Blaise looked at him, as did most of the others there before they all laughed.

"What's with the drawer?" Blaise asked.

"Contracts, for every marker known." He shrugged, "Figured we could toast a few marshmallows." Blaise smiled and looked at it. There was a quill that fit into a hole at the corner. He pulled it out and wrote a name on the label of the drawer and waited for the name to soak into the paper. When it did, they waited a while. Then, '**_FILE FOUND,_**' reappeared on the label and the file appeared in the drawer.

He picked it up and looked at the typed name in block capitals.

**JULIA M. RAYMOND**

He took out his wand and pointed it at the file in his hand opening his mouth to say a spell.

"Wait," Draco said and put down the drawer to fish in his pockets. He withdrew his wand and pointed it at the file in Blaise's hand. Soon every other person in the, sort of, room had all come closer to point their wands in the same direction.

"Incendio!" they all said at once and the file burst into flames. Blaise dropped it to the floor and watched it burn away to ash before the wind swept it away.

---

I'm sorry if this chapter confused people. I tried really hard not to make it that way. Um... forgiveness?

Well this chapter took me the longest to write I think and I put in so much effort. Review, pretty please?


	23. Chapter 23

The spell spoken is?Victims of evil, I summon you here, to take back the lives you once held so dear. Break free from your prisons where you all had to dwell, come and confront your maker of hell.

Well, unto thanks:  
In order:  
First spell uttered:  
Virsaviya: Russian  
Jonathon's piece, supplied by:  
Adelina: Bulgarian  
Andrew, supplied by:  
Ishtar: Greek (modern translation)  
Second spell Blaise heard:  
Sannikex: Swedish  
Third spell supplied and improved by both:  
rosiecotton125, Nuala: French  
Fourth, supplied by both:  
Hedgehog, Fionnait: German  
Fifth supplied by:  
cometdust123: Italian  
Sixth spell translated and improved by both:  
Isabel Black, Oconel: Spanish

And last but not least to my loveable know-it-all HermineGranger who has been giving me Latin translations since I started this fic.

When I uploaded this fic before I had run a vote to see if my readers wanted a happy ending or a sad one. In truth I had three seperate endings written and they all chose the happy one, mainly cos so many bad things had happened to Blaise. In short this is the ending they wanted so if you don't like it let me know and I'll see if I can put up a 'Deleted Scenes' fic for you all to see just HOW different this would have been if it wasn't for my betas and testers.

Just so you know this isn't the last chapter. This is the penultimate one. It's been great having you guys along for the ride. Hope you follow along my other fics too. You're all so awesome.

---

Chapter Twenty-Two

Breaking All the Rules

**Paying Back Your Debts**

Harry exhaled a heavy breath and sat back to look through various sheets of paper. "These files seem awfully thick," he said as he threw another file into the fire.

Draco contemplated it. "Yes, quite. But if you want thick wait until you reach 'Z.' Then you'll know what thick is."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean?"

Draco looked at him, he seemed to paused before answering as if he was planning his answer. "Are you honestly this stupid or do you do this to annoy me, Potter? Whose name has a 'Z' in it that you know of?"

"Oh." Draco rolled his eyes. "Where is he?"

He shook his head and shrugged. "Probably on his own staring at nothing like he's been doing for ages." He looked back down at the drawer and then moved onto the next letter of the alphabet. M. He heaved a heavy sigh as if bliss had almost reached him. "Oh, I can't wait to use magic feely again."

Harry smiled. "I suppose it's hard to restrain from using it."

He scoffed. "You have no idea. I passed that exam but they didn't say it would be hard _after_ the first three weeks. It gets so much harder, especially after four years," he said as he picked up the quill to write the letter M on the label. "I traveled a lot but I would have liked to use it in my own country." The drawer filled with hundreds of files with the surnames of M. Harry and Draco sat back watching them pile up and sighed. The stacks filled the room once more and they looked around. You couldn't even see the windows anymore. Leveret's secretary was right when he said M was a popular letter.

"We may need a bigger fire."

----

Blaise, however, was not upstairs staring at nothing. He was back at Leveret's office… staring at nothing. He was waiting for something. He could feel everything a few hours ago. He had felt all the mark that had been killed and every person who had signed a contract with Leveret. Their magic had flowed through him as he channeled his anger with it. But he could also feel something else.

He could feel her.

And he still could. At first he had thought it was his imagination because she was dead and he just missed her but then he realised that she was not in him, she was in the building. She was all around him and she was still there, among others.

"Julia? Are you there?" he said anxiously. He exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding and sat cross-legged on the floor filled with debris. "Please be here." He closed his eyes and sat there waiting. Maybe she was there, but she just wasn't able to talk to him. He was so desperate to hear her, he would have given anything at that moment to just hear her speak or even breathe. He wanted her back so badly and the fact that she was around him but he couldn't see her anymore was infuriating. He just wanted to hear her. It was then something occurred to him. He relaxed and let his barriers down a little, cautious of whatever else could be there and if he could handle it at this time, to hear her the only other way he could. When he did, he gasped.

She was already talking.

"… and I always told you not to get upset over these things but you never listen to me, as always. Figures the one time you actually want to listen to me you can't hear me. Now look at you, crying over me when you know in your heart I'm still here."

"Julia?" he said to the air around him.

He heard her sigh and closed his eyes. "I'm here," she said. "You've been calling me but you can't hear me, I understand that now."

He smiled. "I can hear you."

She was silent for a while. "You can? Did you hear what I said? Have you been hearing me all this time?"

He could imagine seeing her with her hands on her hips and almost chuckled. "Not all of it." He looked around. "Where are you?"

"I'm right here," she said. "Sitting next to you."

He lowered his head. "I can't see you. I'm sorry."

She sighed. "There's no need to say sorry for it."

He smiled to himself. "That's not what I'm saying sorry for." He almost cried at saying something so familiar to her but not seeing her to share its meaning.

"Then what are you saying sorry for?" she answered.

He swallowed hard. "I wasn't there," he said stonily. He saw it as his only mistake, the one that cost him the most. It was no laughing matter. "I couldn't protect you when you needed me to."

"Blaise, whether you were there or not I would have died eventually. You can't get away from them and live, you know that."

He turned incredulous to where he heard her voice. "No, you wouldn't have!" he said getting angry. He noted her silence and calmed down. He paused, breathing before continuing calmly. "I would have been there, like I should have when they-."

"You can't protect everyone, Zabini! When will you see that?" he heard the urgency in her voice and could almost see her trying to shake him to make him understand the concept. "I had a contract. When I signed it I gave them my life anyway. It wasn't mine to lose and I knew – even though they told me that it was. The second I left that island I was put up as a mark and you knew it as well as I did."

He nodded. He knew she was right. She seemed to have a lot of insight now she was dead. "You shouldn't have died like that. You deserve better than that."

She scoffed mockingly. "I suppose you think I should have died in my sleep?" she said sarcastically.

His jaw was set and she stopped instantly when she noticed it. "You shouldn't have been murdered." He lowered his head. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn he was going to cry.

She sighed. Hearing her breathing like that, like she was alive and with him only made him feel worse. "I know this is difficult for you, but it's okay now, you set me free among the thousands of others. They were really tormented, you should have seen it. So much anger. It was strange, being among all that intensity and not feeling like it was driving me insane. Like dying strengthened me somehow." She broke off from her reverie when she saw him look away. "They said thanks by the way."

He laughed a little and looked out to the city skyline knowing what she was trying to say and why she was avoiding it. "You have to leave don't you?"

"You avenged me," she reasoned. "I have no reason to stay anymore."

He smirked and looked down playing with the ash on the ground. "So I cause my own loneliness then." He nodded slowly. "Figures," he said ironically.

"Blaise," she breathed. He turned to her voice. "I wish you could see me so you knew how much I am crying right now. I don't want to leave but I have to." She swallowed. "Maybe I'll come back as a guardian angel or something," she laughed. "Hell, I could become a ghost and haunt this place for all eternity as long as I didn't have to leave you. I love you, Blaise. I always have." She fell silent.

He felt like he hadn't heard her say that in a long time. He almost broke down. "I love you too." She was still silent. "Julia? I can't hear you, are you there?"

She turned to him at that request. "You want to hear me?" she contemplated and wondered if it would still work. She gave up on wondering and did it anyway. She was running out of time, something was calling her. Blaise almost fell back and his eyes glazed over. When he refocused them he looked around to get his bearings before his eyes settled directly on her. "Did it work? They're calling me. I have to go."

He smiled as he saw her soul standing before him. He tried to get rid of the lump in his throat but it wouldn't budge. She was glowing everywhere. "I know, I can feel them. I hate this," he said croakily.

She stepped closer to him. "I know you do but we have to deal with it."

He could see her crying, the tears shone on her face illuminated by her aura. "I'll miss you so much." He tried to wipe away a tear but his hand went straight through hers. He frowned and looked at his hand.

"Let go, drop them. It'll be okay, I promise." He still looked hesitant and looked around cautiously. He had no idea what else could be there. She noticed his pause and moved so that he would look at her. "Trust me," she said to him. He dropped them and she reached out for his hand. He felt sudden warmth as she touched him and saw her bite her lip to stop the sobbing from escaping her. She looked up at him and threw her arms around him. He held her tightly with a burning ache that made him dizzy. "I'll miss you too. Good bye," she said as she loosened her grip. Then she kissed him. He kissed her back instantly deeply passionate and hopelessly desperate which seemed to go on forever. But forever was not enough. She ignored the voices that called to her and they dwindled away to a careless inconsequence and kissed him so deeply that it almost hurt, not on her lips but in her heart. But then the voices became more urgent and they both knew they had to let go.

So he did and she stepped away. "Bye," he said softly.

"Never forget me."

Very softly, "Never." His voice hitched and she let go of his hand. He let it fall back to his side as he watched her walk off the side of the building and carry on across the darkness before she disappeared and he couldn't feel her anymore.

----

Harry and Draco had spent a great deal of time burning every file left.

"What's that?"

"The spell we used to summon Falcroft." He read it through before throwing it into the fire also.

Just then, it swept up to a giant whirlwind of fire. Harry hit Draco on his arm.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"What? I didn't do anything."

"You must have, giant whirlwinds of fire don't just appear out of nowhere!"

The fire died and returned to its original state. Harry and Draco sat still waiting for something to happen. They both jumped when Blaise apparated behind them.

"AH!" they screamed before they realized who it was. "Fucking hell, Blaise," Draco continued. "Did you have to do that?"

"What?" he said defensively. "Come back? I could go again if you want."

"You just scared us is all," Harry said. "We thought you were Falcroft or something."

"Why?"

"Because he is the one who owes you all a favor." They jumped and turned around to face a man watching them carefully. "Do not be alarmed. As they say up here, I come in peace." He took a seat on one of the chairs. Aware of the attention he was getting, he rolled his eyes. "I'm here to tie up loose ends. I do not like having debts unpaid in my name. I much prefer them the other way around. Therefore," he said gesturing to them. "Name your conditions." He sat in silence waiting for them to speak.

He turned on Draco. "You made a deal with a demon, are you crazy? Have you learned nothing from Leveret's example?"

"I didn't make a deal with him. I did him a favour. It's not my fault that he doesn't like to owe people things."

"Excuse me, but I haven't got all night. I have places to be and times to visit."

"What do you want?"

"What do I want?" he repeated. "I want to know what you want so I can do it and leave," he said obviously.

"What are you willing to do?"

"What are you willing to ask?"

'Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Blaise, we've been through this before, it's annoying as hell and it doesn't go anywhere."

"Alright, for the first time in history I will cut this short. I don't have a lot of time, even though I am it, but I am just doing as I am told. Now, for your service to the ones up there," he said pointing upwards, "they are giving you a gift."

"A gift. And what might that be."

"Well, that's up to you. I know there have been things going on here that you wish you could change. I also know that if you are to change these things certain other things will change. It will cause chain reactions that even I may not be able to control."

"What kind of reactions."

"Well, seeing as you both know what I am talking about. Miss Raymond died two days ago." He looked at Blaise. "Something which you all still feel I am guessing. If you go back and save her, she will most certainly not die. But…" He paused.

"But what?" Blaise coaxed.

"If she doesn't die, you don't leave and find out what you did in order to find me. None of this would have happened," he said gesturing around him.

"It could have," Draco piped in. "I mean, that little message Leveret sent us with the marker – that would be reason enough to look into. Blaise here, being the inquisitive man he is wouldn't be able to stay away from a mystery like that."

"Message?" Falcroft said. "What message." It didn't sound like a question either.

Blaise suddenly looked up at him. He stared blankly for a second before tilting his head to the side. "That's what Leveret said." He narrowed his eyes not at what Falcroft had said but the way he had said it.

Draco tried to gather his thoughts. "Wait, hold on. Leveret didn't send him?" he asked Falcroft. Blaise's cogwheels were turning.

Falcroft sat down. "No, he did. He just didn't send him with a message."

"So… who did?" Draco said.

Falcroft was watching Blaise intently as if he was willing the answer to him. The concentrated creases on Blaise's forehead smoothened and he looked up again. "We did."

Falcroft had a knowing and content look on his face. Being the owner and being of time he had already seen it, he had seen the chain reactions, the consequences. The ending.

----

Draco stood outside of the building that had more or less been his source of income for four years. Falcroft actually did it and sent him back. Of course he had no doubts but it was still amazing. He was in the past, how much more fascinating could this get. Leveret's Inc. looked almost majestic smack dab in the middle of London without a suspicious look on its polished glass. He knew in a matter of days it would be torn down by Blaise and Leveret fighting somewhere on the thirtieth floor. But that hadn't happened yet and he knew that time was against him to send the message that they all got when they were by that cliff at his grandparents' home. He walked into the lobby. It was almost reminiscent to see it in the daylight and untouched. He walked forward when he saw Sarah.

She smiled slyly and stood up. "You know, you're being searched for all over the country. Word has it you ran off with one of the teacher's."

"Is that so?" he responded in the same tone. "And why is it they haven't sent anyone after me? I mean I don't see any killers on my tail do you? Where are these people who are searching for me? They're doing a very bad job."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Well, Just as I was putting away Thomas' files I got a memo so it just so happens that they are sending one out today. A…Marcus something…" She leaned forward ever so slightly to whisper to him. "He's being instructed to follow your teaching friend. I'm about to send it in now."

"You are?" he asked charmingly.

"Yes," she said unaffected, "I am. Why, is there any reason I shouldn't?"

"Just one, there's something I want to add to it."

She frowned. "You – you still want me to send it?"

"Yeah, sure – why not I already know he's coming. There are just one or two things…" He grabbed a pen and scribbled down most of what he could remember from the speech the man had given them. "There, knock yourself out." He straightened about to leave when something occurred to him. "Did you say you had Thomas' files?"

She smiled again regaining her devious attitude. "Maybe."

"Can I see them again?"

"Sure." She when into her dips and pulled them out. As he was searching through them she watched him. He looked different, almost older. "Where are you staying?"

He didn't look up. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Just curious. I always know where markers are. It's part of why I'm so valuable here."

He looked up at her. "Because Markers willingly tell you where they live?" He went back to the pages and frowned. This was not the same itinerary that was faxed to his home. He almost smiled at her cunning. "It's hardly surprising, you seem quite… trustworthy for any marker to give you there whereabouts but, even though you are valuable, it also makes you dangerous. And right now, I've had all the danger I can handle."

"Yes, but-."

"See you later." He winked at her and left.

As he walked out of the building Sarah shook her head at him. "Those two never cease to make me wonder." She turned as she set off to the elevator to go to the forty-first floor intent on finding out where it was he was hiding.

----

"Curtain of Time and all's that concealed, pull back your protection to me reveal. All time as I want it, show yourself to me. As I will it, so must it be." They all stared into the space they had created in the living room. Molly, Callisto and George found it better to stay in the kitchen away from them. There was no point telling them to not make a mess as somehow they had enlarged the living room to open a time portal. There was no point in telling them to be safe because the second it opened they would go against anything sensibly named safe. There was no point in telling them it was too dangerous either because, let's face it, they never listened.

A portal opened and they could see the woods in Avon on the other side. "You have one hour. Are you both going?" Falcroft asked them.

Draco looked at Blaise. "Are we?"

"I don't know."

"Blaise, she was my friend too. I want to help."

"Well then help." He walked through to the woods they could see on the other side.

As Draco stepped through, he felt the chilling cold of the winter air. Then he found Blaise on the ground.

"Blaise?" he said but Blaise wasn't listening, he was too busy with his hands over his ears trying to block out something. "Blaise!" he almost yelled careful not to be overheard.

Blaise exhaled through his teeth. "Oh gods, make it stop. Please just make it stop," he winced. He put his hands up in the air. A wave of energy emitted from him in spanning outwards and getting larger and there was a dim light that carried with it. When it calmed Draco put his arm down that was protecting his face from the sharp wind that carried with the wave too. When he did, he gasped

Everything stopped moving.

The wind stopped moving, the leaves stopped rustling. It was even a little warmer. It was as if nature was on strike. Relieved, Blaise leaned against a tree and breathed heavily. "Oh thank Merlin for small mercies." He bent over putting his hands on his knees and took in long deep breaths.

"What happened?" Draco asked.

"I don't know," Blaise said between breaths. "It all came at me so suddenly I didn't know what to do. It pounded hard in my head. I had to make it stop. I needed silence." He sighed heavily and closed his eyes in contentment. "Silence is good." He rested his head on the trunk as he straightened himself up. "Oh yeah," he exhaled as if in ecstasy, "silence is good."

Draco nodded and left him to recuperate as he looked around. Eventually he sat down on the ground to wait as the heat got to him. It was unusually warm for the time of year, especially compared to the cold he felt when he stepped through, must be Blaise's doing when he uttered the spell. He lay back hearing Blaise's ragged breaths returning to normal and looked up at the patches of blue through the broken canopy of branches and leaves. Some leaves were falling to the ground, he could see-.

_Wait a minute._

He paused and looked closer at the leaves that were falling. They weren't moving. They were frozen in mid air. He suddenly grew very wary. "Blaise?" he said into the silence.

Blaise exhaled a breath before answering. "What?" he said with his eyes closed.

"That spell you used to make everything stop, it wouldn't happen to be the type of spell they'd use in La Isla to stop you from finding your mark would it?" Draco asked as he stood up.

Blaise's head shot up and his eyes opened. "Yes, it is, why?"

"Because when we were here last you said you couldn't feel anything. It was only you who couldn't hear anything." He turned to him. "Just now you used a shield to stop everything from moving because you couldn't take the pressure, right? You – the other you, the past you –," he said pointing in other directions, "is obviously linked to you," he said now pointing at Blaise. "He can't feel or hear anything either." He pointed to the suspended leaves above them. "_You _stopped nature from moving. Not the marker after Julia."

Blaise looked up at them and understanding dawned on his face. "Oh my gods." He winced as he raised a hand to the air preparing himself to reverse the spell. He exhaled deeply as he muttered the counter spell and winced immensely as everything came flooding in.

"You okay?" Draco said to him.

He nodded. "I'll be alright. We have to find her." He stood up straight. "I have to find her." He closed his eyes trying to home in on her. Draco knew enough about him to not bother to disturb him. He stood there for a while just waiting for him to finish. Suddenly Blaise opened his eyes and began running head on to his left. Draco cocked an eyebrow before rolling his eyes and following.

----

Julia took another look back to see if he was still following her. She couldn't sense anything strangely and she definitely couldn't see anything so she slowed down a little still looking behind her. She bent over holding her knees for support as she breathed heavily seeing each breath escape with a slight steam. She watched it in fascination, she hadn't seen it in seven years, let alone felt the cold. It was brilliantly new as if she had entered a whole new world that she hadn't discovered. Except this time she had someone to share it with.

She smiled at nothing as she remembered him. Blaise would be looking for her, she knew it but if he had said he couldn't feel anything back at the house… She looked around at the silence of the trees and doubted that was an accident anymore. It was well known the level of power he had and no marker would dare to go against him, no matter how good they were.

She stood up stretching out her back and looked around. When she faced forward again she saw the marker that was after her. She gasped and turned to run in the other direction but when she turned he was standing there too. She had nowhere to run anymore.

Suddenly she heard a rustling to her right and almost screamed when something grabbed her hand and pulled her along to her left and out of sight of the marker that was after her. She looked ahead of her to see who it was that had grabbed her and her eyes opened wide when she saw who it was.

"Blaise?" she called to him. He didn't look back but she could tell he was smiling.

"Blaise, are you planning on letting me in on the secret to where we are going?" she heard behind her.

She turned around and gasped. "Draco? Where's Ginny?" They were dressed differently. "Did you bring extra clothes?"

He smirked. "Long story. She's good though. Don't worry about it."

They jumped over the last tree trunk and crouched down. Blaise sighed aggravated. "We haven't got time for this, he's following us. We need to get to that cliff."

"What? Why?" Draco asked. Surely that was a no go right now.

"Because that's where we found him the first time, if he's not there, I wouldn't have found him there."

Julia shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Never mind, Jules. Just keep running." He stood up again and took off.

They did keep running. Blaise led the way as Draco and Julia followed him skipping over bushes and dodging trees until they came to a wide clearing near the edge of a cliff.

"Well, here we are again," Draco said pointing out the obvious. Truth be told he was a little anxious because he knew enough of Blaise to have an idea of what Blaise was going to ask.

"Again?"

Blaise shook his head, a sign that said don't worry about it. Julia had the urge to cross her arms and demand an answer but lost all reason for it as something else came out of the trees behind them. They turned around to face him.

He smirked arrogantly. "You can't get away from me."

Draco and Blaise glanced over the cliff. "Draco, please tell me you went to the class that taught spontaneous apparition."

"Please, I mastered that class. It came in handy during life afterwards too. I can't tell you how many bedrooms I've found myself in that I've had to make a quick getaway from."

Blaise raised his hands. "Too much info. Julia, how are your skills?"

She turned to him in an obvious way. "I teach it, Blaise." She put her hands on her hips.

"Are you listening to me?" they heard behind them. "I'm giving you the message that was sent to you."

"Save it for the ones who need it," Draco said stopping him from going any further. He turned back to the other two. "Ready?"

They looked anxious as well. "As we'll ever be."

Then, they jumped.

The marker, or Marcus as Sarah had called him, ran to the edge to watch them fall. When they apparated, he swore to himself at letting them get away. That was, until he turned to see them running out of the woods. He frowned however, when one of them was not the same woman that had just jumped with them.

"Where did she go?" he said looking around. She must be there somewhere.

"I should ask you the same question. What do you want with her?" Blaise held out his wand.

"I was trying to tell you before you ran off." The man looked at the concentration on Blaise's face before letting his eyes travel to his wand. He smirked. "You can't kill me that way, you've been tagged, Alpha - 36-58."

Blaise stopped and stood up straight. Was that Draco's number he just called? He watched him in confusion. "Huh?" he said turning to Draco. Draco just shrugged.

"Go with it, it's an advantage at least. Very impressive of them to do that though." Blaise nodded and then turned his attention back to the man.

"What do you want?"

"I don't want anything," he said arrogantly. "I'm here to give you a message from Leveret. Deliver the body in two days or else. Hiding the teacher from me is not going to help you. We'll find her eventually. We can always find our own kind."

Blaise frowned at that comment wondering what he meant.

----

George had been watching out his window for any signs of them. When he saw them walking back with Julia close behind, he ran outside to see if she was alright. He opened the gate to let them in. "Is everyone alright?"

They all nodded. "Where's grandma?" Draco said to him.

"She's inside," George said with a smile. "I'll just go and get her."

"No," Blaise cut him off, "we can come in."

"Blaise!" Callisto said as she saw her grandson, his friend and Julia walking into the house. She had been waiting for them to make sure they were safe. "Erm… where's Ginny?" she said upon realising another woman was missing.

Draco gestured toward the trees outside. "She's taking a look around. She'll be back soon." Callisto nodded.

Blaise looked at his watch and then pulled Draco aside. "Speaking of, we had better go and get her."

Draco nodded. Their hour was almost up. "Yes. That's true, she's been… looking around for a long time."

Julia clapped her hands once and rubbed them together before turning back towards the door. "Well, let's go."

"NO," the two of them said together. Julia jumped and turned back instantly wondering what was wrong.

"No," Blaise continued. "You stay here. We won't be long." They exited the house. The others followed them out, Julia was still surveying them. They were acting weird, a lot weirder than usual.

"Erm… okay then," she frowned confused at their strange behaviour.

"Good." He kissed her. "I'll see you in a bit." She smiled at him as he and Draco ran back towards the trees.

As they walked back towards the area they crossed into, Draco turned to him. "You had to kiss her, huh?"

Blaise couldn't keep the smile from his face. "No, but it felt good." Suddenly the portal opened and they stepped through.

---

Curtain of time... etc. Said by the sisters in Charmed. Wicked show, no? Too bad it's over...


	24. Epilogue

Epilogue

Breaking All the Rules

**Happy Endings**

"Weasley, do you really have to do that in front of me?" Draco said sickened as Ron and Hermione snogged on the sofa. He still had no idea why he was still at the Burrow. His home was safe to go back to and yet somehow he had spent almost over a week there and hadn't even left except for food and whatnot. One thing for sure, Molly was pretty damn persuasive. Even Blaise was still there. Mind you, he wasn't _really _there as he and Julia hadn't spent much time away from the bedroom since they had gotten back.

Another thing for sure. For the first time in his natural life, he was jealous. Of Blaise.

Blaise was there showering Julia with affection and he was stuck abstaining. It sucked major arse. Somehow being in the Weasels' home and being in the presence of her mother pronounced Ginny as unattainable as rain in a desert and he didn't like it.

Not at all.

"Well you don't have to be here, Malfoy, you could just _go home,_" Ron answered back. "Why are you still here anyway, isn't your house safe already?"

Before he could answer, Molly came in. "Because he saved your sister's life, allowed you to get your own back and…" She turned to Draco who was sitting at the kitchen table eating cereal. "Well, he's such a sweet boy."

"Mum!" Ginny said as she came downstairs. "If you ever say that again I'm leaving."

"What? What did I say?"

"It's alright, Molly I'm fine with it. But I do think I should go home now. I've overstayed my welcome. By about… since I got here."

"Oh nonsense. Besides, I don't think you can go and leave Blaise upstairs can you?"

"Well, he's got company." It was true at least, he was sure Blaise wouldn't miss him. Actually he was pretty sure Blaise would miss the next ice age with all the heat they were probably producing.

"Perhaps, but as he's your friend, he's your responsibility and you're not leaving if he's not leaving."

_Ah, that's how she did it. Now I understand why I'm not at home sitting in my own chairs, sleeping in my own bed._ He looked down at his cereal._ Eating my own food. _He laughed emptily and continued with his tirade as Ginny sat next to him to eat her breakfast. _I can't leave if Blaise doesn't leave and when Blaise does come out for air he's being tricked by the 'Goddess of home cooking,' and conned into staying when she offers him dinner. Slick Weasley, very slick,_ he thought as Molly walked past him with a smile. He eyed her with a hidden admiration mixed with accusation.

"I see through your mother, you know." He let the milk drip off his spoon and it splattered on the table in small droplets.

Ginny paused with the massacre of her sausages and considered his statement as she looked to the ceiling in thought. "You – see – through – my mother," she repeated slowly. She turned to him. "How?"

"She's tricking me into staying. I'm like a voluntary prisoner."

She narrowed her eyes. "Do you hear yourself – you know, when you speak, do you… hear yourself?"

"I know what I'm saying, Ginny. I have to get out of here."

She sighed suddenly knowing what he was saying. "Are you still upset because you're not getting any?"

He looked at her incredulous. "Ginny!"

She didn't know what was wrong. "What? It's true isn't it?" she asked.

Draco shook his head like he had given up. "I can't believe this." He stood up and dropped his spoon. "I'm going home."

----

Later in the afternoon, Blaise walked down the stairs of the burrow and looked around. Draco wasn't there. He went into the garden at the back of the house. The sun was shining through the clouds, not that it was warm but it was nice to be able to go outside and breathe some fresh air. Ginny was lying down on the bench. "Is Draco gone then?" he said already knowing the answer.

She looked up at him as he masked the afternoon sun and nodded. "Yes, unfortunately he couldn't stay."

Mrs. Weasley came outside having seen him walk through the kitchen from the living room. "I'm sorry that he couldn't stay with you, dear. Would you like some lunch?" she said smiling.

Ginny, who knew full well what her mother was doing, looked pointedly at him when he faced her for advice. "Be strong, Blaise."

He sighed gathering his strength to refuse and smiled at his host. "Sorry Mrs. Weasley, I can't. I think I need to find Draco." With that he waved good bye and apparated.

----

Draco sat down with a cup of tea and looked out the window. It was something he always did when he had a day off or nothing to do. This was rare, so, to him, looking out of the window was special in a way. He watched the tops of the buildings trying to remember who lived where. In the space of a month and a half he had been tied up in so much he had fallen out of the loop of his own neighbourhood.

He briefly wondered if Mrs. Levitz still lived across the road with her twenty-four cats. He had always praised her for keeping that house smelling clean with all those animals around. In turn she would then praise him for not being married, what with all the girls she saw him with. And then she would say that when he got himself settled in his company – when he had asked her why she thought he worked in his own company she had told him that she had noted on a few occasions that he had not been at home for long periods of time and she had just assumed he was going on business trips because no man takes _that_ many holidays. – and found others to do the work for him, as so many owners do these days, he could find himself a well-mannered girl to marry and have a family with.

He remembered one occasion when they had had this conversation and he had said to her that there wasn't any possibility for him because he was what modern day people called a lost cause. He smiled into his cup when he remembered what she had said to him shortly after his declaration

"_Dad always used to say the only causes worth fighting for were the lost causes." _

Mrs. Smith goes to Washington

"Feels nice don't it, to be in your own home again?" Draco heard from behind him. He turned to see Blaise watching him smiling into his cup of tea.

"Shouldn't you be performing the miracle of creating impossible amounts of heat to warm three quarters of Greenland?"

Blaise laughed, "Yeah well, even miracle workers need breaks."

Draco raised an eyebrow and turned back to the window. "Do you remember Mrs Levitz?"

Blaise frowned. "Mrs Levitz, Mrs Levitz – oh, you mean the old lady that lives in the next building?" He saw Draco's nod and sat down. "Yeah, what about her?"

"I wonder where she is, that's all."

It was Blaise's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Um, why?"

Draco shrugged. "Just because. I was thinking about what I am going to do with myself now that my full time career is officially over."

"Yeah I was doing some thinking about that too. I mean, there are the restaurants and they are all well and good but… the whole assassin deal… it completed it, you know? _You_ never needed anything else to keep you balanced so it would be hard to understand –."

"I had a best friend who tried to make life as normal as it could come. That kept me balanced, that I was not the only one grasping at straws, that there was someone else going through the same thing as me. You had a semi- normal life. If I was a part of that, then it made me normal too_. That_ kept me balanced, Blaise."

"And now?"

"Now…" He Sighed. "Now my abnormal life is gone and that's what I wanted," he said but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Blaise. "I'm still a part of your life and now I have Ginny too. You have your own little franchise and you have Julia. Everything is fine now, right?" Blaise shrugged. "So what's wrong with me?" Draco asked.

"Now the piece of abnormal is gone, and you feel… empty?"

Draco sat in thought for a while. "Yeah, that sounds like it. It's stupid, right?"

"No, it was all you were good at."

Draco laughed sarcastically and kicked him from his point of the sofa. "Oh, thank you. Thank you very much."

Blaise waved it off. "You know what I mean. You were an expert at it – not as much as I was, but you were getting there. Now you have no way to express your artistic abilities. You're stumped."

Draco watched him warily. "Are you reading me or something?"

Blaise laughed. "It doesn't take empathy to see that, Draco."

Draco put his cup on the table next to him, sighed and returned to the view outside. "How does it feel when you're reading someone Blaise?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does it feel weird?"

Blaise shrugged. "For some people, if they're fighting you or if you're a novice, it's like ploughing through mud to find a needle. After a while it runs to just murky water. When I first started I thought I'd never get the hang of it, but like they say practise makes perfect and I had a lot of it."

"Was it ever painful? When you were trying to find something?"

"The headaches – after you learn to open your mind – were like having an unforgivable cast at your brain." He spoke as if he was teaching Draco something easy to see but hard to explain. Draco guessed it probably was rather hard to explain, having an unforgivable cast to his brain was something he didn't want to experience but he could only imagine the pain involved. He suddenly had a newfound respect for his friend. No doubt he had gone through it day after day after he was told about his 'gift.' "Because once it's open, especially if you're new at it, it's really hard to close off everything that you hear. Everything comes at you at once and you have no control over it," he said stressing his words. Draco suddenly remembered when they were in the woods. "That's why there are potions, and thank Merlin for them is all I have to say." He smiled and then sighed. "They teach you to know what it is you are going for so you don't get lost. It's very easy to get lost if you aren't trained. He shrugged, "But it's the life of the mind. There's no road map for that territory. Exploring it can be painful. I have a pain most people don't know anything about."

Draco decided to drop the subject. He knew Blaise's talent surpassed many other empaths that would ever cross his path. And for that he knew how hard Blaise's mentors had been on him to channel it. But the more he trained the more powerful he got and the harder it was to control. Draco didn't know how he did it. "Where's Julia?"

Blaise sighed as if thankful for the change in subject. "She can cope without me for a few hours. She's done it for four years so a few hours shouldn't hurt much."

Draco watched him with narrowed eyes and crossed his arms. "As I recall," he began in his trademark drawl, "the four years apart did massive damage to the both of you. Most of it being mental," he added with a smirk.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Yes, but now it's different. Now we both know we're not going anywhere."

----

"Where's he gone?" Julia said as she pushed a scarf out of her mouth, again. Ginny and Julia were walking down the streets of London in the cold weather wrapped up in every warm article ever made. Product of Molly Weasley's supervision.

"To see if Draco's okay, I suppose," Ginny said. "You do know you can take some of that off, right?" she added laughing. Julia, upon walking out to the garden of the Burrow in a thin coat, had been accosted by Molly Weasley and told she could not leave the house like that because the cold could somehow penetrate the three warming charms she had put on it. Julia then allowed Molly to drag her back inside with a goofy grin on her face and as a result now had on three scarves, a large pair of gloves, and not one but two jackets. She looked like a woollen snowman.

Julia smiled. "No, I like it, it's weird but it was done with a good heart. Never had someone dress me before, it was strange. But she treated me like her child, I liked that. And," she said turning to Ginny with wide eyes, "I'm embarrassed," she giggled, "I'm so excited."

Ginny stopped walking. "You're excited that you're embarrassed?" she asked her.

Julia nodded profusely. "Yeah, isn't it cool?" she said with what could only be described as a maniacal grin.

Ginny shook her head. "You are so weird."

Julia shrugged. "Maybe, but for me – who has never met her parents and been fawned over before – it's a first time experience and I love it." They fell into a comfortable silence of just smiles. "So why didn't you go too?" At Ginny's frown she elaborated. "To go cheer Draco up."

"Because Draco's in a slump and I'm not in the mood to cure him right now, Blaise has had much more experience in that area so I shall leave it to him." Ginny then suddenly stopped noting the place they were looking for and stood in front of the store she had found refuge in for little less than eight years.

Julia noticed her stop and looked up at the sign above the bookstore. "Is this it then?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah." She put a hand out to feel the metal burglar-proofing that she had remembered from her episodes. She smiled. "Thing is I can remember everything about it, what books it sold, how often it sold, who the good customers were… I remember everything inside of it but I can't remember ever actually being inside."

Julia hooked her arm in the crook of Ginny's elbow. "Well let's make that one a new memory, shall we?" She took Ginny's hand and placed it on the handle of the door. Ginny nodded and pushed it open.

The air smelled of old books and dust. She looked around and retraced the mental map of the large room she had remembered night after night in her dreams.

"It looks exactly the same."

"After eight years?"

"Well, the new books are different but the general area… yeah, after eight years it hasn't changed at all."

Julia looked around. "Well, how much closure do you need?"

"Not a lot, I just needed to see it really."

"You want to buy anything?"

Ginny shook her head. "I haven't got any money anyway."

Julia shrugged. "Oh, okay then, well let's go."

They had only just put their hands on the door handle when a voice spoke out from the back. "Ginevra? Gin – is that really you?" Ginny and Julia turned around to be greeted by a short woman with widened-eyes.

----

"Well, look who it is, I haven't seen you in a very long time." Draco and Blaise stood outside of the apartment smiling.

"Hello Mrs. Levitz, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Oh, the pleasure is mine I assure you." She eyed them both standing there before stepping aside. "Come in, please, would you like anything to eat or drink perhaps?" she asked him.

"Oh no, I just ate," he lied easily.

"I just got some chocolate cookies," she said with a smile.

"Oh, don't mind if I do," Blaise said.

"I'll be right back then, make yourselves comfortable." She walked into her kitchen after seeing them to her living room.

They walked into the room full of its lavish décor. Draco sat down easily relishing the soft feeling of the material on the three seater. He loved it, soft but sturdy, very nice in his opinion. He looked up at Blaise as he walked around the room. Every time Blaise came with him he would make a round of the room looking at everything in sight, he did it everywhere he went. He had probably seen the living room a hundred times and Draco was sure that if he ever asked him a question about any of the pictures he could tell him where each of them was, what their names are and how each of them was feeling at the time. Blaise liked to learn about people and most of what you learn about a person, especially if you don't know them, is by looking at what they show you in the comfort of their own home.

Apparently this was true, as Blaise had now turned to Draco with a question on his lips.

"Is she a witch?" he asked. He had always thought she was a muggle.

Draco frowned. "No, how is that possible?"

"Well, this picture is winking at me. It's never winked before."

Draco got up and walked over to him where he was looking at a framed picture on the mantelpiece. And there was a picture portrait of Mrs. Levitz in black and white with a smile on her face. She wasn't moving. Draco frowned. "It's not moving."

Blaise looked closer at it before finally picking it up. "It just did, I swear."

"Blaise, I think all the heat you created in the past few days have finally gotten to you," Draco said as he went to sit down.

"Cookies are here, help yourself," he heard behind him and put down the frame to sit next to Draco. He picked up a cookie and a glass of milk that she had placed on the tray and nibbled on it watching her with a newfound wariness.

She eyed him back and smiled at him fully when he smiled back but they narrowed a little when he looked back at her picture in suspicion. She turned to Draco.

"So, to what do I owe this visit?" she said.

Draco sat up and grabbed a cookie. "I was just sitting at home and I suddenly thought, I wonder how Mrs. Levitz is going and if she had any new additions to her family." As if timed, a black and white cat jumped into his lap.

"She always did like you, didn't she?" she commented as Draco stroked the cat's fur.

"Well cats have good taste, I've said that before," he smiled.

Mrs. Levitz nodded and sat back looking between them. "Well, little Owen has left me – you remember him, a ginger tabby cat with blue eyes?" She continued when he nodded. "And since then I couldn't find the strength to get any more but…" she trailed as she leant forward in her chair and picked up a small black and white kitten, "your little woman right their gave birth to this beautiful creature, among four others, a month ago." She held up the small kitten and Draco could see the steel of its eyes from his seat. He instantly smiled.

"I want him."

A grin emerged on her face. "I thought you would. I've been saving him; all the others have gone already. You would have liked them but they had their father's eyes. This one I saved for you." She reached forward and Draco took him from her arms only briefly squashing the cat in his lap, which, having eyed Blaise's glass of milk since she got there moved over to Blaise.

Blaise, having abandoned his glass of milk, did not notice it disappearing as the cat drank it as he was still watching the portrait.

"You find my picture intriguing, young man?" was what broke him out of his stupor. He shook his head to clear it and his gaze snapped to her.

"Pardon?" he said.

Draco rolled his eyes. "He thinks it winked at him, he been under a lot of stress lately and he's been seeing things. Honestly, you can just ignore him."

"You think my picture winked at you?" she said as if he were crazy and then narrowed her eyes at him. Blaise bit into his cookie. He was planning to avoid her eyes altogether until she asked him, "Which eye?"

Both men on the chair opposite her watched her. "Excuse me?" Blaise said.

She repeated it. "I said which eye?"

Blaise narrowed his eyes. "The left one."

She looked at the portrait and said, "Huh," as if she'd just discovered something particularly surprising.

Blaise had an overwhelming urge to read her, just once, but having gotten the strict no from Draco he resisted it with great fervour. He would have drunk some milk but it appeared to have disappeared altogether. He found a very satisfied cat sitting next to him. He eyed it darkly.

"So," she said to Draco, "Any luck finding your bride?" Blaise snorted and she looked at him. "Oh, I'll take that as a yes, shall I?"

Draco stared at Blaise darkly. "As if you can talk, Zabini."

"Ah, you too. Excellent." She smiled at Blaise.

"Well, we're not talking about me, are we? No, didn't think so," he said answering his own question. Draco shook his head.

"He's head over heels."

Mrs. Levitz nodded in agreement. "I had thought so myself."

Blaise huffed in indignation. "What about you? You haven't taken your eyes off Ginny since you got to her home."

"Oh, I have so taken my eyes off her. Very busy around there if you don't remember."

"I do, I remember _everything_. And don't laugh at me."

Draco looked at him. "I'm not laughing," he said seriously.

"I'm a mind reader, remember?" Draco rolled his eyes.

Mrs. Levitz was watching them with a smile on her face and leaned back to see them bicker like family. She supposed that since they spent most of their time together they practically were. That last line of Blaise's had definitely caught her attention though.

"Oh you are?" she said sitting up. "Are you really?"

Blaise looked at her and smiled awkwardly. "No, not really it's a turn of phrase."

"Oh, I would have loved to have my mind read. I've been trying to find something very important and for the life of me I cannot remember where I put it."

Blaise laughed. "Well that's not really what mind readers do."

"Oh? I thought an empath as strong as you could locate anything, especially those in your line of business?"

"Well yes it does but – what was that?" he said somehow fully focussed on what she was saying. Draco, too, was sitting forward, kitten forgotten momentarily on his lap.

She watched them both with a knowing smile.

"What do you mean our line of business?" Draco said, careful to choose his words with caution.

She smiled even wider and dusted off an invisible piece of lint from her skirt. "My dear boy, the first time you came here four years ago I saw your aura, it matched many wizard's patterns."

"My aura?" Draco said with some scepticism.

"It's the 'protective psychic and spiritual energy field surrounding and penetrating the physical body,' that's the text book definition anyway. It contains information about the person or object it surrounds." Upon seeing Draco's face, Blaise shrugged. "It was just taught as a crash course so we would know if a mark was onto us or not. It was nothing special really."

"So you're a witch then?" Draco asked.

She smiled. "I have been for quite some time."

"And you know about our line of work," Blaise said seriously.

"I may be old young man but I am not senile," she said abruptly. "I know what I see, I know what I feel and I know how to research things without doing much of anything except calling around," she said with a slight smile.

"Have you told anyone?" Draco said.

"My dear, even if I have, do you really think that anyone would believe me?" They both smiled. "I thought not. Now are you going to help me find my wand or not?"

----

Ginny and Julia exited the book store after a long catch-up talk with the owner and Ginny's ex-employer.

"Well at least they cared enough to report you missing to the authorities."

"They thought I was dead. I can't believe it."

"Well, Ginny, you were gone for a long time with no trace or clue to where you were." Julia put a hand on her shoulder. "They've invited you for a long post catch up chat next week so you needn't feel out of sorts after a while. I can come with you if you want."

Ginny smiled. "Yeah thanks. That was a lot to go through just then. All of them at once, it felt really strange but familiar at the same time. I couldn't remember some of their names or ever having met them though I knew who they were. Do you think they suspected that?"

"Suspected what? That you were pretending to know them or just trying to remember who they were without letting on that you had forgotten?"

"Erm, both."

"Nah." They walked on a little in silence. "It wasn't so bad really. I got a few good books to read when I get back so I can't say I have nothing to do now." She held up the bag of complimentary books she had gotten for bringing back their old friend."

Ginny smiled. "Come on let's get back. It's cold and if Blaise is back he'll be wondering where you are."

"No," Julia said holding back her arm. "Do you know how to get by Draco? If anything the two of them would be there right now. If I know them at all Draco is still trying to figure out what to do with his life and Blaise is still trying to help him."

----

"I found it." Blaise said standing up over a rug in the entryway. He stepped off it and lifted up a corner to reveal a ten inch mahogany wand sunk in the plush carpet beneath.

"Now why on earth…?" he heard as Mrs. Levitz came up to him and said thank you. She turned back to the living room and sat down with a frown wondering how on earth her wand could have gotten there. She shook her head clearing the thoughts away and went back to the task at hand. "So you say you don't know what to do with you life now that you have no job?"

"Yep. I've only ever had one and now that it's gone I don't know what else I'm good at."

Blaise snorted. "Being a pain. Oh and Ginevra, he's very good with Ginevra."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Ah yes, the girlfriend. Can't she help you?"

Draco laughed for the first time in a while. "Considering it was her I had to kill in the first place I really don't think she'd be the best person to get advice from."

"If she loves you I'm sure she can overlook that little technicality."

"Love won't help me there. It's a big technicality to overcome. This subject of what I do is very… _difficult_ to discuss with her. Just Ginny in general is difficult really."

"But you do love her, don't you?"

"I don't think it's possible for me not to."

"Well your choice of career affects her too. If you're going to marry her -."

"Say what?"

Mrs. Levitz looked at him a bit surprised at his outburst. "Well you are going to, aren't you?" she asked. "You will eventually if you love her as much as I think you do. And if you want my advice I say the sooner the better before you're so messed up you don't know what you want."

"But… now?"

"Oh when love is fresh within you it's the best time. It's not perfect mind you but love rarely ever is. If everything is imperfect in this world, love is perfect in its imperfection."

Blaise eyed her in mirth. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard for the day. Did you read that in Wizard's digest?" he smiled.

Mrs. Levitz narrowed her eyes with a smile. "I know a thing or two about matters of the heart that no magazine could dream to think of."

"Yeah like what?"

"That love is as contagious as a cold. It eats away at your strength and morale. It is probably the reason you tracked down your lady friend Julia because this one over here," she said gesturing to Draco, "happened upon his little Ginevra."

He smiled. "You're happy, you with your oily words. You believe your own drivel."

She laughed back. "Believe it? Who said? But I love to give pieces of advice." They all laughed then. "But enough of that. My words to you both is to do what you love and do what you know. If assassination is what you know or all you feel comfortable with, have at it."

"And Ginny?"

"If she loves you, she'll get over it."

----

Draco lay awake in his bed that night thinking. He looked out the window at the skyline and saw all the lights in the other buildings lit up. He sighed. What was he going to do now? His source of income was gone, he had no job anymore. At least Blaise had his chain of restaurants.

He turned to Ginny asleep next to him. The moonlight playing on her skin. When he had come home with Blaise both Ginny and Julia were in his apartment looking out the window of his living room. He didn't blame them, it had a great view. They all knew what would happen if Blaise went to the burrow so Julia and Blaise were staying in his spare room for the night. They had gotten into a discussion about what he had decided to do and when he mentioned what Mrs. Levitz had suggested he was surprised that Ginny didn't really seem to mind. Even though it sounded terrible, killing people for a living was all he had done since school, he didn't know how to do much else. He could probably work in one of Blaise's restaurants for a while but he was sure he'd go crazy.

He had to think of a career for himself. One that preferably didn't involve harming anyone in any way. He was good with boats, maybe he could find a job by a harbour somewhere. Actually no, scrap that, with his temper he'd probably drown someone if they edged his nerves. He could cook, to an extent, but that would put him in a restaurant and most likely one on the Zabini circuit. With that family, they probably fried traitors in oil.

_Oh well,_ he kept thinking until he fell asleep.

----

A week later, Draco entered his apartment with a smile on his face and a large bag in his hands. His overnight visitors, i.e. Blaise and Julia seemed to have taken up residence as they didn't seem to have left. Draco found this strange as his apartment could probably fit into Blaise's home a hundred times over. He shook this off, though, as he shut his front door. He didn't mind the company.

"Dinner's ready," Ginny said as he shut the door.

Blaise looked up from a book he was reading. Julia seemed to have gotten quite a few when she went with Ginny to the book store she used to work in. However there were more this time and Draco had the suspicion she had received more when she went with Ginny again to meet her friends. Blaise looked suspicious at Draco's broad smile. He eyed the bag in his hand. "What's with the big smile?" he said still looking at it.

Draco rested it down. Ginny and Julia were in the kitchen, which explain the nice smell of the room. They looked over at him when he placed the bag down on the counter and it made a slight clunk as if whatever was in it were made of metal. "I know what I'm going to do." He took of his jacket and placed it on a hook in the cupboard next to the door.

With that Blaise looked back down at his book. "Oh found another career have you?" he said as his eyes skimmed the words.

"No, no it's the same one," Draco said frankly.

With this answer, Blaise set the book down and looked at him full on, as did the other two in the kitchen. "You've gone back to killing people… again?" Blaise said. Looking at the nod he raised an eyebrow. "So I trust from the smile on your face that you've found yourself a mark already?"

Yeah his name is Brian Warder. Someone found me today as I was walking and asked if they could talk to me. They said they knew who I 'was,' and if I'd be interested in taking the reins for a while."

"And the agency?" Blaise said crossing his arms.

"That's the thing. When they said take the reigns I thought they meant with just this job so I said no. But they want me to _run _it. As in take the reigns on the whole thing. So now I'm freelance while employing others. What do you say; want to come into the business with me?"

Blaise sighed. He had long let go of any hope of understanding the workings of this man's mind. "As long as you don't turn into another Leveret, lord knows I can only deal with one of those every millennium. What do you plan to kill him with?"

"Oh," Draco said getting up and going back to the counter. "I'm getting creative." He picked up the bag he had flung on the table and took out a large metal contraption." Blaise got up off the sofa to get a better look.

"It's a metal… what – what is that?" he asked.

Draco undid the chunk of metal and Blaise learned that it unfolded into a bow.

"You're not."

Draco gave him a maniacal grin and nodded as he laughed, "I am."

He watched as Draco took out five arrows from in the bag also. "Draco, no one is gonna believe this was an accident," he said trying to reason with him.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?" he said looking at his watch. He began to pack everything away. "Are you going to come?" he said as he went back into the cupboard to get his coat. He threw Blaise his coat too.

"Ooh, I do!" Julia said excitedly. "I've never seen you in the field. Not really."

"I'm quite curious myself," Ginny said before putting a charm on the pots on the stove to remain heated until they came back.

Blaise watched him carefully and narrowed his eyes as he put on his coat. "What do you know that I don't?" he asked as Draco left the house followed by the two women.

Draco turned back and smiled at his long life friend. "He's teaching his wife how to hit the bull's-eye in his archery club."


End file.
